


Full Circle

by Lyatt1941



Category: Timeless - Fandom
Genre: Endgame Wyatt Logan/Lucy Preston, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Kidnapping, Speculation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-22
Packaged: 2019-05-20 18:06:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 44,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14899388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyatt1941/pseuds/Lyatt1941
Summary: Always had some theories buzzing in my head about Lucy’s car accident and her relationship with Garcia Flynn (this is NOT a Garcy fic).  This is a speculative fic for post S2 finale.Happy Reading!





	1. Chapter 1

Emma Whitmore was tired of bloodlines and lineages. She had sacrificed everything for Rittenhouse, lived in isolation for 10 years, lied, killed, and manipulated for them time and time again only to be reminded that since noble blood didn't flow through her veins, she would never be quite enough. She had just executed two of the remaining three direct descendants of David Rittenhouse – Carol Preston and Nicholas Keynes – and the other pure blood families were furious. She was the figurative and literal red-headed step child, taken in by Carol only to betray her and feed her own lust for power. Now only one person stood in her way to seize ultimate control of Rittenhouse – Lucy Preston.

Emma hated Lucy with a passion. It was jealousy, of course, she knew that – she wasn't so blinded by her pride to recognize that she envied that perfect princess. As a direct descendant of David Rittenhouse, himself, a product of two of the most respected and elite families within the society, Lucy Preston was everything Emma wanted to be, but couldn't. The most irritating thing? Lucy didn't even want that blood right. She actively worked against Rittenhouse and still, she held more clout in the organization than Emma did, despite all the blood, sweat and tears Emma spent to prove herself worthy of recognition and respect.

Rittenhouse had recruited Emma when she was at school. They told her that they saw in her a great potential. Emma's childhood had been an unhappy one. Her drunk of a father and his subsequent abuse of her and her mother had caused them both to make a break from the oppressive situation in which they were living and seek out a new life. Emma Whitmore worked hard for every last shred of success she had. She was top of her class, but she had no friends – she didn't have time for socializing when she needed to get that grade, get in that program, get in that school. When Rittenhouse approached her she was beyond flattered. This ancient, aristocratic society wanted her, the poor kid from a broken home, to be their newest and most promising recruit. She was more than willing to take on that mantel and she would do everything and anything they asked. She wanted to belong. She needed to belong.

Carol Preston had been instrumental in her grooming. She was almost like another mother to her. Emma's own mother had passed away while she was in her junior year at college. Carol oversaw Emma's training in the finer points of Rittenhouse dogma, Benjamin Cahill had secured her position at Mason Industries, and Emma was given elite training in martial arts, hand to hand combat, and marksmanship. She was everything Rittenhouse had wanted in a recruit and then some. Driven, ambitious, willing and fiercely loyal to her new family.

Three years later, Conner Mason had completed his prototype for time travel, and Emma was one of three pilots handpicked to train on it. Stanley Fisher and Anthony Bruhl rounded out the other two. Stanley was the first to jump. His initial mission was a success witnessing the Battle of Waterloo, first hand and Emma was green with envy. She wanted her chance, her time to shine. Anthony Bruhl went next and the jump was another success. Emma finally had her shot. She had no problem with the initial jump, but on the return she miscalculated her landing and crashed the prototype, which put it out of commission for six weeks. She hated herself for making that mistake. Rittenhouse would be disappointed in her and she didn't think she could bear it.

Benjamin Cahill approached her in the locker room after the bad news was delivered. "Emma, we're so happy to have you as part of our organization. You've worked so hard to get where you are and we want you to know that we appreciate your efforts…but this mistake…well, it's put a hitch in our plans."

"I'm sorry, sir. It was an oversight on my part. It won't happen again."

"Yes, well as you know Carol has just been diagnosed with cancer. Our latest efforts to get this time machine operational have been driven, in part, by that very fact. We want to save her, don't we Emma?"

"Yes, sir."

"Well, as it is, we're investing more funds into Mason Industries to speed up the completion of the Mothership. When the Mothership is ready, we will be organizing a mission to reshape Carol Preston's future. As such, it is one of the most important missions we have heretofore undertaken. Of course, with time travel now possible, there will be many more opportunities to change our past and reshape our future. Carol Preston, however, is vital to the project. Hers is a legacy that must be protected and saved. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Because we will be selecting the best pilot for this mission. There's more at stake here than just Carol Preston's life. So, if you want to be considered, you need to prove that you are better than what you showed today. I had high hopes for you, Emma. I trust my faith in you wasn't misplaced"

Emma felt her face flush with shame. "No sir. It was just a miscalculation error. I know what I did wrong. It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't. I'd hate to think we made a mistake bringing you in."

One year later, Stanley Fisher had a mishap on one of the test jumps. He began having strange seizures and visions and was subsequently placed into a psychiatric facility. Anthony Bruhl was noticeably affected by Stanley's accident. He was the better pilot, Emma had to concede, but he was a family man and this mission, these trips, were risky. He was fidgety and nervous and he didn't seem as committed or as driven as had been before. The only joy he seemed to have in his work was that of training his protégé Rufus Carlin. With Stanley out and Anthony Bruhl's disinterestedness, Emma was confident that she would be picked for the mission to save Carol Preston.

Months passed and things were finally falling into place. The Mothership was completed and the plans were being finalized for the first official jump under Rittenhouse control. Benjamin Cahill arrived at Mason Industries and Emma waited anxiously for the meeting that he had called for both her and Anthony. Anthony had just recently been released from the hospital . Three weeks ago, he had gone on another test run and had ended up in the hospital. Upon return from that run he was suffering from migraines and internal bleeding. He had undergone emergency surgery and there for a while, it looed like he might not make it through. He was weak, fading and had seemingly given up on life. But Rufus Carlin, his student, his friend, was at his bedside cracking jokes and reminding Anthony every day that he had a family to live for. Rufus was good like that. Emma was not. Anthony dying would only make her the obvious choice for the first official mission and frankly, that's all she cared about.

Emma entered the sleek, modern conference room at Mason Industries, and she saw, much to her surprise, that Anthony was already seated at the table. The meeting looked to be already underway with files opened and remnants of conversation hanging in the air as she slid into the nearest seat. Emma looked around the room with pointed interest. On the projection screen she noticed a photo of a brunette woman about her age.

"Who's the doe-eyed beauty?" she asked lazily. "New recruit?"

Benjamin Cahill gave her a smile, "No. That is Carol Preston's daughter…my daughter."

Emma lifted her eyebrows in surprise, "Didn't know you two were a thing."

"We weren't. Lucy Preston was conceived by order of Rittenhouse. She is, as a Cahill and a Preston, a culmination of two of the most noble families in our organization. As a direct descendant of David Rittenhouse, himself, she's practically royalty."

Emma felt the wave of jealousy wash over her. What a charmed life this woman must lead.

"So why are we looking at her on the big screen?" Emma tried to ask nonchalantly.

"She will be our lead historian and anthropologist – the leader of these missions. Currently, she's teaching at Stanford just like her mother before her. She had a bit of a wild side that we needed to um…take care of, but now that that has been rectified, we're right where we were meant to be. Carol pulled many strings to get that position for her and she's done remarkably well there, but we need her here. We've made the necessary calls to the current Department Chair and they will be cancelling her tenure meeting scheduled for the end of term."

"Poor Princess", Emma frowned. "I haven't seen her around the headquarters, sir. What, do you keep her locked in a tower?"

Benjamin Cahill grew serious. "No. She doesn't know anything about Rittenhouse yet and that is why I've called you and Anthony in here today."

Anthony Bruhl had been looking at the floor throughout the entire exchange, but at the mention of his name, he looked up. Emma was surprised to see he had tears in his eyes.

Emma stared at the picture of Lucy Preston. Her mother had gotten her the job at Stanford. She had no idea about Rittenhouse, had never gone through the rigorous training and teaching that Emma had experienced and yet she would be the one calling the shots on these missions. All because she was "royalty". Emma inwardly rolled her eyes.

Benjamin Cahill drew Emma's attention away from Lucy Preston and back to the meeting at hand. "Anthony has just completed his first mission for Rittenhouse and it was an unparalleled success. You should be proud, Anthony."

Emma was hit with another wave of jealousy. Anthony had already completed his mission? It was supposed to be her, it was what she had been working for these past four years. "I thought you weren't going to announce that decision yet? I thought that is why we were meeting here today?"

"No, Emma. The reason for our meeting today is to announce the maiden voyage of the Mothership. You and Anthony will be taking this jump together. I also need to impress upon the both of you how utterly important it is that Rittenhouse's involvement in this project go unmentioned – particularly with Lucy. She will be told when the time is right."

Both Emma and Anthony nodded their heads.

Benjamin Cahill approached Anthony with an outstretched hand. "Thank you again for your effective mission, you and your family will be well looked after."

Anthony, again, looked almost ashamed, and exited the conference room leaving Emma alone with her mentor.

"Now, Emma – I know we said we didn't make our decision yet, but I'm afraid we have. Anthony will be our pilot for the Carol mission. I tried to sway the other members of our society, but they were unhappy with your mistake and I'm afraid it caused them to doubt your ability. You would be responsible for the safety of not just mine and Carol's daughter, but of a descendant of David Rittenhouse himself. That's just not something we can risk."

Emma bit back her anger "I understand, sir. But I think I should have the opportunity to prove myself."

"Oh I agree. And we have a very important mission for you, but I'm afraid it is going to require some duplicity on your part and I might add, a change of scenery."

"What's the mission?"

Emma found Anthony Bruhl sitting alone in the employees lounge with his head in his hands. "Anthony, what's wrong? You just completed a successful mission for Rittenhouse. You and your family are gonna be set for life!"

"Yeah, but at what cost?" Anthony said quietly.

"I know what you mean, they've asked me to do something that I'm just afraid I can't do…and - "she began crying "they'll kill me if I don't comply."

"What did they ask you to do?" Anthony looked at her concerned.

"They want me kill Henry Wallace…Carol Preston's dead husband." She laughed through her tears. "Guess they really don't like that guy if I need to go back and kill him when he's already dead."

Anthony jumped up from his seat and grasped Emma's arms. "Emma, you can't do that. Please don't. It's not worth it."

Emma grabbed Anthony's hand. "Well, what am I supposed to do? They're gonna kill me if I don't do it. You know how powerful they are. You know how involved they are in my life. I – I can't escape them."

Anthony shook his head. They were both stuck. Both under the awful power of an organization he didn't even know existed until Conner Mason got bankrolled into developing a time machine. "Emma, we'll think of some way to get you out of this. I'm not as in deep with them as you are. There has to be a way to keep you safe."

Emma was pacing the lounge, biting on her fingernails, brow furrowed in thought. "What's our next jump?"

"Missouri, 1872."

She gasped. 'What if…what if I fake my death? We're doing this jump together, right? What if - I don't know…something goes wrong and only you come back? Do you think it'll work?

Anthony frowned. The idea of abandoning his teammate in the past didn't sit well with him, whether or not she was willing to do or not. She was young, smart, talented and 1872 wasn't exactly the 21st century. "It might just work. But Emma, what will you do? It's 1872 – that's not going to be easy."

Emma laughed, "Anthony, you know the training I've had. This will be like an episode of Survivor. I don't have any family that I care to see anymore. My father is in prison, my mother is dead. Why not live out my life in a new era?"

Anthony placed his hands on Emma's shoulders. "Are you absolutely sure this is what you want?"

"Yes" She looked into his eyes – not a trace of fear or doubt within her own. "Please help me, Anthony."

"Alright" he sighed "let's do this."

The Mothership was far more roomier than the prototype they now dubbed the Lifeboat. Even the jump was smoother – no turbulence, no impact on either the launch or the landing – it was akin to traveling in first-class after riding in steerage for the past three years.

Anthony assisted Emma in finding an abandoned cabin, since being a woman in the 19th century came with a myriad of problems. The two of them had managed to smuggle various supplies, a nice sum of money, and various essentials – particularly medicine - into their gear bags that would help Emma as she settled into a new life in a new…or rather, old century.

"Anthony, I can't thank you enough for helping me." Emma whispered as Anthony made ready to leave. "I don't know what I would've done without you."

Anthony gave her a hug. "Emma, you take care of yourself." Emma cried as his arms tightened around her shoulders.

"But what about you, Anthony? Who is going to look after you?"

Anthony hung his head. "I've already made my deal with the devil.'" He said quietly.

"You never told me what it was they had you do." Emma said, pulling out of the embrace and looking at Anthony's face.

Anthony shuddered. "I'm not proud of what I did…and God, if I had it to do over again, I wouldn't do it."

"Anthony, did they have you kill someone?"

"No, but it was just as awful." He sobbed. "She was just a kid. They wanted to give her a good scare - get her head back on her shoulders."

"Anthony? What did you have to do?"

Anthony walked away from Emma and took in the Missouri landscape. It was peaceful here in the untamed wilderness. He almost envied Emma for the life she was about to lead, away from Rittenhouse, away from the mess he now found himself in. He took in the soft, rolling hills, the beautiful green valley, and his eyes fell on the twisty winding river below. He drew in a sharp breath.

"Do you remember the girl from the meeting? Cahill's daughter?"

"The Princess, you mean?" Emma snorted "Yeah – what about her?"

"Remember when he said she had a bit of a wild side that they needed taken care of?" Anthony was speaking in a voice that was just barely above a whisper.

"Yeah" she snorted "what, did you have to scare off a boyfriend or something?"

Anthony turned his head and closed his eyes. Emma touched his arm, "Oh, Anthony, I'm sorry…I'm not trying to make light out of this. Really, I'm not. It's just she's ya know 'Rittenhouse royalty' and all that so I can't really imagine her being all that wild."

Anthony shook his head, "No, she looked like a nice kid." He looked off again into the distance and spoke almost to himself, "The whole mess landed me in the hospital…should've known better than to try visit a point in time that I already existed"

Emma was beside herself with curiosity. "Anthony - what could you possibly have done to scare the Princess of Rittenhouse?"

Anthony slowly turned to face her, shame written all over his face. "I made sure she drove her car into a river."


	2. Chapter 2

When Future Lucy and Future Wyatt materialized in the bunker on that fateful day a month ago, not one person living in that bunker, save Garcia Flynn, could believe what they were seeing. Their hardened expressions, their combat-ready attire, their no nonsense, confident personas were a stark contrast to their younger counterparts who were emotionally and physically beaten and broken. Seeing the four of them together was nothing short of bizarre. 

Jiya - while fascinated at first by the future couple? Were they a couple? They looked like a couple - was far more interested in the upgraded Lifeboat, as was Conner Mason. The two of them were like kids in a candy store, exploring every square inch of the new and improved time machine. They scribbled down notes, took measurements, made calculations and stayed up until the wee hours tinkering with their own Lifeboat. 

“I think I did it, Mason…I think…oh my god, I really think I did it!” This was the most excited Jiya had been since before they had almost lost Rufus. Upgrading the Lifeboat, keeping busy, kept her mind from darker thoughts. 

Mason scrambled up the stairs and crawled into the hatch of the Lifeboat. “The power system? Did you manage to extend the life?”

“Yup – we are now an energy efficient Time Team!” She was beaming from ear to ear. “Instead of needing to charge between every two jumps, we can now extend that to six.” 

“You tripled our charge capacity?” Mason asked incredulously. “That’s fantastic, Jiya!” 

“Yeah, well you know if we were ever in a situation again like we were in 1888 –“ her face fell. She was back in that saloon, back to that last moment with Rufus before he was shot. Mason put a comforting hand on her shoulder, breaking Jiya out of her reverie. She gave him a small smile and cast her eyes downward. “if we ever needed to go back and bring an extra person home, we wouldn’t have to wait so long between jumps. And ya know, I – I could’ve come home without…without anyone risking their life to get me.” 

Mason hugged her as she wiped away the tears. “Rufus will be so proud of you.” 

Jiya beamed again “Ya think? – I mean, technically he’s been harping on this for two years now. Anthony was able to make the Mothership nuclear and we’ve been having to recharge ours constantly like some sort of crappy cell phone.” 

Rufus’ head popped into the Lifeboat. “Did I hear my name?” He stopped short when he saw Mason’s arms around Jiya. “Are you two having an affair?” 

Mason smiled at Rufus, “That’s my cue. Don’t work too hard, Jiya. You’ve done enough for one day. Don’t underestimate a good night’s sleep…or you know, a quiet night with a loved one.” He slapped Rufus on the back as he made his way down the metal staircase.  
“What was that about?” Rufus turned to Jiya and immediately saw that she had been crying. “Do I need to kick someone’s ass? Because I can get Flynn or Wyatt to do that. They both kind of owe me right now.” 

Jiya laughed and pressed her lips to Rufus’. “No. I just love you. That’s all.”

No one had told Rufus what had happened during that initial trip to 1888 because only one person from the team remembered first-hand what had actually happened…and that was Conner Mason. The Wyatt and Lucy of the future had taken Conner Mason back to 1888 – Conner felt it was only right that he should be the one to bring Rufus home. It was poetic, he thought, as it paralleled his earlier relationship with Rufus, when he plucked him out of that Chicago neighborhood and gave him a new life at Mason Industries.

It had been a delicate rescue mission, nothing else could change – only Rufus’ mortal wound. It was a distraction really, that’s all it took. Emma’s shot now hit Rufus in the shoulder. While the Futures went back to their LifeBoat to wait, Conner had emerged from the shadows, completely surprising a distraught Wyatt and Jiya with his assertion that he had come to save the day. After issuing assurances that all would be well, that Rufus and Conner would be brought back later, the original team returned to the present, albeit unwillingly. Jiya was near hysterics as Wyatt pulled her away from a wounded, bleeding Rufus. As the LifeBoat disappeared from 1888, Conner pushed the cart in which he had laid Rufus, towards the new and improved time machine. 

Rufus had lost quite a bit of blood, so his stream of consciousness had faded in and out. He vaguely recalled the cart ride, he could feel himself being lifted into the LifeBoat, but due to the mind-numbing effects from blood loss, he had trouble processing all that was actually occurring around him. He was strapped into a seat, obviously confused that he wasn’t on the controls, and it was only then that he seemed to notice anything amiss. “What the hell? – Do you have a beard, Wyatt? How long did you leave me in 1888?” 

“Sorry, man – we got here as soon as we could” Future Wyatt had said with a smile, though his eyes couldn’t hide the emotion he had felt by seeing his old friend alive again. 

The second appearance of the new Lifeboat was met with the same shock and surprise as the first time. Future Lucy and Wyatt stunned everyone, just as before – but this time, instead of daring them to save Rufus, they already had and they were carrying a now, unconscious Rufus into the med bay. 

Conner decided that Rufus didn’t need to know and that it was better that he shouldn’t know that he had actually died and was dead…until he wasn’t…until they saved him. However, Conner and the Futures decided that it was necessary for the rest of the team to know just exactly what had happened so as not to affect the course of natural events too drastically. The revelation that Rufus had actually died and had been dead, visibly shook the inhabitants of the bunker…Jiya and Wyatt especially. Wyatt, because he felt personally responsible for what had happened and Jiya, because she had almost lost him. She had been an emotional wreck since that day. 

Jiya looked at Rufus with watery eyes, her arms still laces around his neck. Rufus gave Jiya a quizzical look, “I love you, too. But if I’m being totally honest, you’re kinda freaking me out with all the crying. In fact…everyone around here has been doing a lot of crying. I didn’t think anybody would miss Jessica after what she pulled, but oh my god, it’s been a regular weep fest since we got back.” 

Jiya gave him a hard look, “Believe me when I tell you Rufus, that NOBODY is missing Jessica. Not even Wyatt.”

“Good to know.” Rufus said simply. “Now, are you gonna be in here all night? We’ve got a whole hour before Agent Christopher shows up and I really don’t want to be sitting in this tin can any more than I have to.”

“I’m coming, just hold your horses, okay? I wanted to show you –“

“Good evening, people!” Agent Christopher’s voice rang through the Silo. “I know I’m early but I wanted to lock down the perimeter before nightfall. We’ve almost got the clearance for our new location. It’s taken longer than we thought, let’s just hope that our luck holds out.”

The entire population of the bunker gathered around the tables in the kitchen awaiting Agent Christopher’s brief. Wyatt had winced at those last words – he knew he was to blame for their current situation. 

Jessica’s presence in the bunker, while not an immediate problem anymore, had compromised the security of their base of operations. She knew where they were, knew the layout of the bunker and it was only a matter of time before Rittenhouse used that information to their advantage. She was still alive and well, and as far as anyone knew, still working for Rittenhouse. 

“Everyone here?” Denise cast her eyes around the room. “Good. We have scouted a new location for our base. The good news is, it’s not a bunker. You will each have your own rooms. There are two bathrooms, instead of one and it has central heat and air. The bad news is we can’t get in there until next week.” 

Protests erupted all around. 

“I know. I know. Believe me when I tell you we are working as fast as we can. We have to get permission to use the site, we have to get the highest security classification, we have to figure out the logistics to move you, keep you protected and off the grid. And that’s just the easy part. We’ve got a wanted criminal that we helped break out of prison, two of you are supposed to be dead - ” There was a sharp collective intake of breath and everyone looked at Rufus. 

“Why is everyone looking at me? Wyatt’s supposed to be dead too – technically he’s AWOL.” 

Agent Christopher gave a little cough – “and then there’s Lucy.”

Lucy sat alone, her arms folded in front of her, not meeting anyone’s eye, but she could feel all of theirs on her. 

The pure-blood aristocracy that made up the top tier of Rittenhouse leadership wanted Lucy Preston. They made no secret of that. Her face had been plastered all over the news as a “Missing Person.” Her lineage connected her to their beloved founder and as such, she was the rightful heir to all that Rittenhouse had to offer. With the death of her mother and Nicholas Keynes, she was now the last remaining direct descendant and they were not about to let her throw that legacy away. She was too important to them symbolically. 

Intelligence reports indicated that due to Emma’s attempted coup d’etat, Rittenhouse was fractured. Emma and Jessica were stirring the pot among those that had been recruited into Rittenhouse service. These were people who had dedicated their lives to the organization. People like Emma, who no matter what they did or how much they accomplished for the cause, were never quite good enough because Rittenhouse blood didn’t flow through their veins. When Emma killed Carol Preston and Nicholas Keynes it sent shockwaves through the society. She boasted of her action arguing that she was merely protecting Rittenhouse from the weak leadership shown by their superiors. Leadership that would not allow Lucy Preston to be killed merely because she was family. This same leadership, she argued, now wanted Lucy Preston, the woman who had been actively fighting against them for years, to take up the mantel and call the shots. It was ludicrous in her mind and in the minds of those that followed her. 

The aristocratic line – the blood line – knew full well that Lucy had been less than willing to join their cause, but they were convinced that given the right motivation and a better understanding, she could be groomed, she could be tamed, to be the Rittenhouse leader she was always meant to be. 

Lucy Preston would never willingly join Rittenhouse – all they had brought her was grief and pain. The fact that she was a direct descendant of the man who had once, in 1780, ordered her to his bedchamber made her physically ill. His disgusting blood flowed in her veins, his genetic makeup was linked to hers and she was somehow an heir, the only direct heir, of all that he and his band of followers had wrought on the world. 

She looked around the table at her new family – all broken, all victims in the crosshairs of their war with Rittenhouse and she felt a surge of guilt. Even though none of them blamed her or considered her even remotely responsible for the actions of that cult, all of their lives had just been made more difficult now that Lucy was the last of her bloodline. Rittenhouse was getting desperate and already there had been evidence of perimeter breeches outside the bunker. It was only a matter of time before they made their move. The longer they stayed in that bunker, the more vulnerable they were. Sleep was a near impossibility these days. 

Wyatt finally caught Lucy’s eye and tried to give her a reassuring smile. Things had gotten decidedly better between them in the last few weeks. Wyatt had confessed that he loved Lucy and while she was sure she felt the same, the pain she had experienced over his dealings with Jessica made it difficult for her to return those sentiments. She needed to trust him before she put her heart on the line again. 

Wyatt was doing everything in his power to regain that trust. Aside from making her breakfast every morning and supplying her with her favorite kind of tea, Wyatt was also teaching her how to defend herself. Her last run-in with Emma had drove a jolt of panic through his heart and seeing her bruised and bloodied made him swear that if he ever got a hold of Emma she wouldn’t live long enough to even ball up her fist. When news reached their ears that Rittenhouse was actively searching for Lucy, Wyatt wasted no time and immediately took Lucy to the training room to teach her some basic defense moves. 

Agent Christopher was wrapping up their meeting when Flynn, always ready to rub Wyatt the wrong way, piped in. “So, we’re just supposed to wait here like sitting ducks while Jessica and her Rittenhouse friends breach our defenses and take us out one by one?” 

Agent Christopher turned to Flynn. “I would hope you have more faith in me than that. I have taken every possible precaution that I can in order to protect this bunker, to protect you. In fact, I will be staying here on-sight until we get you moved to a new facility.” 

“How very thoughtful of you, ma’am” he retorted and then made his way back to his room without another word. 

The whole room watched him go. He had been in a crabby mood since they had gotten back to the bunker. Food supplies had been scarce because of the limited times Agent Christopher could come due to the need for an increase in security and everyone had been on edge. Flynn, ever the resident grump, had taken his crankiness to a whole new level. Agent Christopher shook her head and sighed, “Is there anything else that needs to be discussed?” “Jiya, how are the updates to the LifeBoat coming?” 

A grin spread across Jiya’s face again, “Well. Really well. We’ve managed to increase the charge capacity of the LifeBoat.”

“What does that mean?” 

Rufus jumped to his feet and ran to Jiya “It means that my girlfriend is a freaking genius.” He planted several kisses on Jiya’s face setting her giggling. “We don’t have to charge the LifeBoat after every two jumps. We can do multiple jumps without having to plug in.” 

“Really?” asked Lucy, “How many?”

“Six” said Jiya. “So that would be three round trips according to my calculations. It’s the best I could do. We’ll never be able to match the mothership in terms of power, but given our last mission, I wanted to increase our jump capability as much as possible.” 

Agent Christopher nodded in agreement and then turned to Mason. “Conner, any luck on making the LifeBoat capable of revisiting a point in time?” 

“No, Denise, we’re not quite there yet…and even so, we would need to test it. Anthony was the only person I knew who had ever tried it in the LifeBoat and he almost died of internal hemorrhaging. I’m not ashamed to say that I hesitate sending any one of you on a jump that could end in your - well, to put it bluntly, - painful death.” 

“Noted.” sighed Agent Christopher. 

After their evening brief, Wyatt and Lucy headed off to the training room to work on some new moves. While he primarily offered to teach her some basic moves for her own safety, his other motivation was more selfish. He loved being near her again. Even though things between them were strained, their close contact was helping break down the barriers that they both had put up over the past couple months – when Jessica had suddenly come back into Wyatt’s life. 

Using self-defense as an excuse to be closer to Lucy did not go unnoticed by Rufus. As Wyatt draped his arm around Lucy’s neck to teach her how to ward off an attack from behind, Rufus sauntered into the room with a big grin on his face “Well, don’t you two look cozy?” Jiya elbowed him in the ribs. 

“You know Rufus,” Lucy grunted as she tried to break Wyatt’s hold around her neck. “Wyatt offered to teach Jiya too – if you’re not careful you might find yourself with a girlfriend who can kick your ass.” 

Rufus didn’t even hesitate in his reply. “Oh she can already kick my ass – didn’t you see her in that bar back in 1888? She broke some dude’s wrist in like two seconds.”

“I’d hate to break up all the ass kicking talk, but I’m trying to teach Lucy how to actually avoid an ass kicking, so if you don’t mind -” 

“Oh, is Wyatt teaching us how to protect ourselves from Rittenhouse spies?” Flynn drawled as he stepped slowly into the room. He was watching the scene with mild interest but the sneer on his face denoted that he was more concerned with goading Wyatt than actually watching the lesson.

Lucy could feel Wyatt’s muscles tense around her as he fought to maintain some calm. “Just ignore him, Wyatt” she mumbled. 

Wyatt glared back at Flynn, he wanted nothing more than to punch that smirk off of his face. They had teamed up in Chinatown. He had been more than grateful for Flynn’s help during that awful awful moment when Lucy ran off into the night after Emma. Once they had gotten back to the bunker, however, it was back to the same old jabs and pointed comments. Wyatt knew part of it was his own guilt eating away him that gave Flynn’s words so much weight, but he couldn’t help but wish he would just shut the hell up and leave him alone. Lucy’s voice called Wyatt’s mind back to the task at hand. He felt himself relax a bit at her words, he took a deep breath and went back to instructing. “Right. Okay Lucy” He wrapped his arms around her arms in a bear hug hold, “What do you do if an attacker comes from behind and pins your arms?” 

The first time Wyatt had taught her this, she struggled with each of the steps – she didn’t want to admit that having his arms wrapped around her made her lose her focus a bit, but it had. Being that physically close after so long apart was distracting. She had floundered so badly on that exercise she was sure that she would never get the hang of it. That had been almost three weeks ago and now that she was acclimated to his nearness again, her mind and body were responding with a little more discipline than before. Lucy immediately kicked back with her foot and struck Wyatt’s knee, then she knocked her head backwards to hit his head and finally used her elbows to hit him in the ribs to loosen his grip so she could break free. She had done it so quickly this time, that even Wyatt was surprised. 

Rufus and Jiya applauded her success with enthusiastic woops and cheers. Flynn gave her a satisfied smirk and Wyatt was absolutely beaming with pride. She had come so far since that first day when her face still bore the fresh bruises and cuts from her run-in with Emma. He chuckled at her as she gave a mock bow. “That’s my girl” 

“I thought Jessica was your girl?” Flynn retorted as he uncrossed his legs and stood up. 

“Shut up, Flynn.” Wyatt growled as he flushed with anger. 

“Okay, look – I think we’ve had enough training for one night.” Lucy said and she led Wyatt out of the room and back into the kitchen area. “C’mon Wyatt, let me buy you a drink.” 

She handed Wyatt a beer and sat across from him at the kitchen table. Wyatt was brooding. “You know,” she said “you shouldn’t let him get to you.” 

Wyatt didn’t meet her eyes…he was focused on peeling the label off of the bottle. “Nah - Flynn just likes to remind me how much I messed up.” 

Lucy bit her bottom lip nervously and sighed looking at him with frustration “You’ve taught me a lot in just a few weeks. I never thought I’d be able to break free of some of those holds when we first started out.”

Wyatt gave her a small smirk. “I knew you could do it, Lucy. You’re stronger than you think.” He took a drink of beer. “I’m sorry about everything, Lucy. Jessica. All of it.”

Lucy looked at him sadly and reached her hand out to hold his. “How many times are you going to apologize Wyatt?”

“If I have to apologize every day for the rest of my life, it won’t be enough. And Flynn won’t ever let me forget it.” 

Lucy raised her eyebrows “I didn’t think you cared what Flynn thought.”

Wyatt snorted, “I don’t.” He said forcefully as he glanced at Lucy and gave her a half smirk. 

Lucy smirked back at him, “Then it shouldn’t matter what Flynn says. I don’t pay attention to it and neither should you.” 

Wyatt’s eyes darted up towards Lucy’s in stunned surprise. “I thought you and Flynn were bosom buddies these days?”

Lucy laughed. “Bosom buddies? Really, Wyatt?” She shook her head. Wyatt smiled. He loved her laugh, he had missed it. “Flynn knows how to push your buttons – you shouldn’t let him. I know you’re sorry for what happened. And so am I”

Wyatt furrowed his brow, “What are you sorry for?”

“My mother is the one who brought her back, Wyatt. She masterminded all of this.” Lucy said through gritted teeth. 

Wyatt reached over and held her hand, his voice wracked with emotion. “Don’t do that. This was never on you. Ever.” His eyes sought hers as she focused her attention on the battered table top, not trusting herself to look into his face and keep her emotions in check. 

Wyatt gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, when she refused to meet his eyes. Lucy shifted her gaze to their joined hands. That sight brought a smile to her heart. She had missed this. She had missed the warmth of his touch, the steady, sure and strong feel of his hand in hers. She sighed “I just think we need to stop beating ourselves up. We have enough to worry about as it is.” 

“You’re not wrong!” Rufus had joined them at the table slapping Wyatt on the back. ‘Hey man, good job teaching Lucy. Who would have thought that our history professor could pull out the moves?” 

Wyatt visibly relaxed with Rufus beside him. “Maybe I’ll teach you next – “ 

“Who me? No..nonono. I’ll leave the fighting to you and Flynn.” Rufus rubbed his wounded shoulder, “I’ve had enough action to last me for a while.” 

“Haven’t we all” said Lucy as she rolled her eyes. She stifled a yawn as she checked the time and then slowly slid her chair away from the table. “Well, I’m headed off to bed.” She smiled at Rufus as she stood up, then patted Wyatt on the shoulder as she walked away. 

Rufus watched her leave as he sat next to Wyatt. Once she had disappeared down the darkened corridor, he turned his attention back to his friend and sighed, “So, how are things with you and Lucy?”

Wyatt shrugged, “I don’t know, man. I messed up pretty bad.” He frowned and Rufus could tell that he was struggling with a lot of pain. 

“Well, Wyatt – it doesn’t look like she hates you.” Rufus gave a small laugh. “I mean, she was sitting here holding your hand.” He turned his head to face Wyatt who was back to focusing on his beer bottle label. “I think you’re gonna be okay. She’s just going to need some time.”

Wyatt glanced over at Rufus and nodded his head, “Thanks, man.” 

Wyatt curled up on the sofa after everyone else had slowly gone to bed. He didn’t mind taking the rock hard couch – he figured it was part of his penance. But tonight, after talking with Rufus and especially after talking with Lucy, he felt like for the first time in weeks, he might actually get a good night’s sleep despite the less than ideal sleeping conditions. 

He was wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

Wyatt had only been asleep for about two hours before he was jolted awake by the screams of the alarm system.  Flashes of yellow light danced and bounced off of the walls of the bunker as Wyatt scrambled off the couch and ran to prepare for battle, strapping on the heavy tactical gear and arming himself with the best artillery they had in that hell hole. Flynn was soon by his side, doing the same. The other residents of the bunker came pouring into the corridor, panic evident on all of their faces.  Agent Christopher was already on her coms to the security team outside.  “Thompson!!  Thompson!! What’s going on up there?  I need an assessment stat!!” 

 

What felt like an eternity later, a crackle of static and the echoes of shouts and screams over the radio in her hand mingled with the blaring sirens of the bunker.  A voice called out above the din, “Ma’am Thompson is dead – this is Jensen.”

 

Her face fell as the reality of their situation became clear. “What’s happening up there, Jensen?”  She ran off to a far corner of the bunker to drown out the noise of sirens.  The team watched with bated breath as she paced and shouted unintelligible words before finally making her way back to the huddled group.  “Dammit. Massive perimeter breach, half the team is dead up there.  They’ve got frag grenades and C-4 – blasted through the perimeter fence like it was nothing. Jensen tells me they can’t hold them off much longer, they’re breaking through.”

 

As the realization that they were, indeed, under attack sunk in, Rufus and Jiya quickly ran to the computer systems and began to frantically unhook them and load them into the LifeBoat. Monitors wouldn’t be necessary but the hard drives were of vital importance, they could not be left behind. Lucy hastily stuffed as many books as she could into a duffel bag and handed it off to Mason who was now running through the Silo towards the LifeBoat.  Agent Christopher, Flynn and Wyatt were preparing themselves for battle – discussing strategy for the various scenarios they could be facing in just a few moments. 

 

Mason was back from loading the LifeBoat, an arm extended, waving for Lucy to make her way towards the time machine.  She took one small step towards Mason and then hesitated.  Rittenhouse was after her and here she was leaving others to pay the price for their wrath.  She couldn’t let them die for her.  She wouldn’t let them die for her.  She stood rooted to her spot staring helplessly as Wyatt, Flynn and Agent Christopher loaded their weapons and strapped on the rest of their gear.   She was suddenly back in that car, drowning…helpless, as the water rushed in surrounding her…she couldn’t control this, she couldn’t make it go away and it was threatening to consume her and everyone she loved.   Panic welled up inside of her chest, her knees were shaking so that she had to steady herself with a chair, as she tried, but failed to control her breathing.  

 

Wyatt looked up and saw Lucy’s pale and trembling figure grasping onto a dining chair for dear life, Mason gently tugging at her arm trying to get her to head to safety.  He jogged over to her, the alarms still blaring as he tried to allay her fears.  “Lucy,” he shouted so that she could hear him, “you can’t stay here. Rittenhouse will be busting through that door any minute now.  You’ve got to get out now while you still can.” 

 

Tears brimmed her eyes, her voice frantic and desperate, “What about you?  I can’t let you do this – I can’t lose any more, Wyatt.  I can’t.”  She wrapped her arms around his neck and sobbed into his shoulder, shaking uncontrollably. 

 

Wyatt’s heart ached for her, but he had to protect her.  He begrudgingly pulled her away from him, placed his hands on her cheeks and set his blue eyes on her brown ones.  His voice was one of forced calm and determination.  “Lucy, we’ve gone over this.  _I’m_ the soldier.  I protect you.  I protect them” he nodded his head towards Rufus, and Jiya who were now making their way over to Conner and Lucy.  “I swear, I’ll be right behind you.  We’ve got what?  Six jumps on that thing?” he asked Rufus who nodded in agreement.  “Then we’ll get out of here as soon as Rufus comes back for us. I’m not planning on these Rittenhouse dicks getting the best of me tonight, okay?”

 

She gave him a small nod as an explosion sounded right outside the main bunker door. Everyone in the bunker jumped at the noise and noticed with much apprehension, that the blast had caused the main door to buckle ever so slightly.  They were coming. 

 

Wyatt turned and exchanged looks with Flynn and Agent Christopher.  Wyatt gave Lucy one last hug with another promise that he would be on the next LifeBoat out of the bunker.  He backed away from her, drew his weapon and began running up the corridor to the Main Door with Agent Christopher and Garcia Flynn.  As another explosion sounded outside the door, Wyatt turned his head and yelled behind him. “Rufus!! “Get Lucy out of here!!!” 

 

Lucy continued to stay rooted to the spot, staring up the corridor at the three soldiers crouched and ready to shoot anything that penetrated their bunker.  She had lost so much in the past two years, and she had thought, naively, after Wyatt’s confession that there was nowhere to go but up.  Standing there, seeing him poised for battle left her feeling numb and empty.  She couldn’t will her feet to move.  She couldn’t just leave him, not when it was her they were after. 

 

Rufus grasped onto her hand bringing her back to her senses, “C’mon Lucy, we’ve gotta go.” Lucy hesitated, looking helplessly into Rufus’ face. “I’ll come right back.  I promise.”  She nodded her head in resignation, took one last look in Wyatt’s direction and allowed Rufus to lead her to the LifeBoat.  Jiya was already climbing the metal staircase and disappearing into the hatch. 

 

Conner Mason followed the two of them to the time machine, armed with an emergency kit they had assembled two weeks ago, after the first perimeter breach.  It was decided then and there that they needed a plan if the worst should happen.  They had decided that since they couldn’t very well hide out in the present with Lucy’s face plastered on every news station, they would have to hide sometime in the past.  Because the Mothership would be alerted to their location moments after their jump, they needed to go someplace where they could blend in, lay low and be lost in a sea of people.  Lucy, was of course, looked to for the best possible solution.  Maybe it was the romantic in her, maybe it was because it was her favorite era, maybe it was because she looked forward to a day when she could celebrate the end of her own personal war with Rittenhouse, but whatever the reason, Lucy chose August 14, 1945.

 

The satchel assembled included the clothes the team had stolen in 1941, an emergency first aid kit, a few more guns and ammunition, and finally, Agent Christopher was able to procure era appropriate money so that they could eat and find a safe place to sleep and lay low until they were able to jump back to a secure location.  They had hoped that this plan of action wouldn’t be necessary, but now as they scrambled into the LifeBoat amid sirens and explosions, they were more than thankful that they had had the foresight to plan ahead.    

 

Jiya was firing up the LifeBoat as Rufus, Lucy and Conner quickly buckled themselves in.  Lucy was fighting back the tears, trying to block out the awful sounds that echoed throughout the bunker.  She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes.   Another explosion was heard in the bunker this time accompanied by shouts and gunfire.  Her heart sank and panic overwhelmed her as she fought off the urge to rip off her safety harness and run right back out to Wyatt’s side.  Mason seemed to read her thoughts and gave her knee a reassuring squeeze.  She opened her eyes and saw him looking at her with an apologetic frown, shaking his head as if to tell her that there was nothing better she could do than to escape so that the rest of them could be rescued as quickly as possible.

 

Jiya started entering in the coordinates as the LifeBoat hatch closed, quieting the sounds of the scene beyond.  Rufus looked over to Lucy, who was now allowing the tears to fall freely. “Lucy,” he tried to speak with a bit of levity and nonchalance, “what’s August 14, 1945?”

 

Lucy took a shuddering breath and wiped her eyes, “VJ Day – the end of World War II” she explained further at the questioning look on Rufus’ face.  “Times Square was full of people celebrating.”

 

Jiya called over her shoulder, “You know Rufus, it’s only when the most famous kiss of all time was captured on camera for all the world to see.”

 

Rufus looked over to Conner who was smiling at him with his eyebrows raised. “Yeah, okay...sure. Don’t know why I didn’t know the date when two people I have no connection to made out in public.”   

 

Jiya rolled her eyes as she punched in the last of the coordinates.   The LifeBoat shuddered and then disappeared with a whoosh.  The jolt of the launch felt more pronounced somehow. Leaving half of the team behind to battle it out felt wrong and the turbulence of the Lifeboat did little to help calm those fears.  Instead, Lucy felt her panic rising until they landed with another heavy bump 73 years in the past. 

 

Mason and Lucy quickly exited through the hatch into the midnight stillness of 1945 New York City.  Jiya turned to glance at Rufus who but on a brave smile.  “Don’t go anywhere until I get back, okay?” 

 

Jiya threw her arms around Rufus’ neck “You make sure you all come back in one piece”.  She picked up the satchel, slid down the Lifeboat and waved as Rufus shut the hatch to rescue the remaining members of their little family. 

 

 

Putrid smoke filled the bunker as Rittenhouse agents poured into the now open door.  The C-4 they used had blasted a good chunk of the door away and now they were creeping into the underground facility.  Lights shining from their tactical helmets as they stepped over the bodies of the first few agents they had sent in.   

 

Agent Christopher, Flynn and Wyatt had backed their position closer to the launch area, so that when the LifeBoat reappeared they could waste no time in getting the hell out of Dodge. From their different positions, they could see at least five would be assassins making their way deeper into the bunker.  Flynn shot up from his position and took out the one nearest him.  Wyatt rolled behind a desk and shot another.  The other three Rittenhouse started firing on them, pinning them to their positions.  “Where are you Rufus?” Wyatt gritted out. 

 

During a break in the shooting Wyatt made a quick glance back towards the main corridor.  He could see movement, which meant the three they were dealing with now were getting reinforcements.  There was a sudden movement and Wyatt saw the grenade being tossed over towards them,  He immediately launched himself after it and in one quick deft move, knocked the damn thing back to the asshole who launched it.  The explosion took out two of the three that had been stalking them and by the sounds of it, injured the third.  Agent Christopher crawled over to him “Nice move, Wyatt.  It looks like we’ve still got more coming in - we need to keep them away from the launch bay, we’ll never get into the LifeBoat if they get too close.”

 

Wyatt nodded to her and scanned the room for some sort of distraction.  He had just spied one when the LifeBoat sprang back into view. Wyatt looked to Agent Christopher – get to the LifeBoat, I’ll cover you.”

 

The reappeareance of the LifeBoat had momentarily shocked the Rittenhouse thugs that had just appeared right outside the kitchen area. This momentary lapse in their concentration, gave Wyatt the chance he needed.  He yelled at Flynn “Aim for the fire extinguishers!” as the two of them opened fire on the red canisters against the wall.  When their bullets penetrated the canisters, white smoke filled the room, blinding their would-be killers to their movement.  Wyatt and Flynn continued shooting as they made their way into the time machine.  Another grenade was launched and was this time dispatched by Flynn who had just reached the stairs.  The white fog that had now filled most of the room made it difficult to ascertain where their enemies were, but the screams that followed the blast told them that they had at least been somewhat successful at taking out a few more of their attackers.  Flynn had just made it to the top of the stairs when he was shot in the side.  The tactical gear had protected him for the most part, but the force of the hit caused him to stagger and almost fall sideways off of the metal staircase.  Wyatt grabbed Flynn, steadied him and dragged him into the hatch.  “Rufus, close it, now-  before those dickheads get another shot at us!”

 

“You don’t have to ask me twice.” Rufus muttered as he sealed them into the LifeBoat.  Flynn was hunched over his seat grasping his side, breathing heavily. 

 

 Wyatt helped buckle Flynn into his seat, securing his own quickly afterwards.  “Rufus, get us the hell out of here.”

 

The LifeBoat sprang to life. The sound of bullets ricocheting off the exterior of the time machine made them wince and tense at every reverberation. Wyatt prayed they would make it out of the bunker before the Rittenhouse jackasses launched another grenade.  His adrenaline was up, his heart pounding in his chest – he closed his eyes and drew a steadying breath.  The LifeBoat shook violently and with a sickening jolt they made their final jump from the bunker they once called home.    

 

The LifeBoat materialized in the same place the others were dropped off.  It was in a heavily wooded area across the river from New York City. Mason, Lucy and Jiya had been camped out under a nearby tree, Lucy already changed into her 1940s attire. As soon as the LifeBoat appeared, the trio leapt to their feet, and ran to meet the rest of their team.

 

The hatch opened with Wyatt immediately sliding down onto the ground below.   Lucy heaved a heavy sigh of relief and ran towards him.  His face was flushed from exertion and stress, grimy with sweat and the heat of battle, but he was mercifully unharmed.  She jumped into his arms, her own wrapped tightly around his neck.  He patted her on the back and closed his eyes, grateful to be needed by _her_.  If she was relieved to see him, it was nothing compared to his own relief at being back at her side, embracing her and feeling her heart beat against his own.  

 

Lucy pulled away from him slowly, keeping her face inches from his, her eyes filled with an intensity that took Wyatt’s breath away.  She brought her hands to his face, as a tear slid down her cheek, swaying slightly towards him when a groan and a cough interrupted them. 

 

Agent Christopher was leaning out of the hatch, breathing heavily and obviously trying to contain the contents of her stomach.  “Sonofabitch” she muttered.  “you all weren’t kidding.” 

 

Lucy stepped backwards, head down, embarrassed at being caught up in the moment while Wyatt turned to their fearless leader.  She was sweaty, pale and slightly green, he gave her a wry smirk and leaned against the time machine, “You should try it after a few drinks.”

 

“I think I’ll pass on that Sergeant.”  After gathering herself, she looked down at the others and took a deep breath.  “I have to go back and report to Homeland. They are going to want to perform some counter measures and find out how the hell they were able to breach our perimeter with so much fire power without sending up red flags in our intelligence circles.  That wasn’t a raid, that was a damn rout, who knows how many of my guys are dead or injured.”

 

Flynn slid down past her onto the grass below, still grimacing and clutching his side.  “Well” he grunted, “we took a few of theirs out and if they’re as divided as you’ve said they are, they are going to be feeling those losses pretty heavily.”   

 

“Let’s hope you’re right.” Agent Christopher called from the LifeBoat hatch.  

 

Rufus was now staggering out of the time machine, doubled over and shaking from nausea.  Jiya ran to his side rubbing her hand over his back.  “I do not recommend back to back jumps in that thing…it sucks.  Big time.”

 

Jiya looked up at Agent Christopher, “I can take you back, Rufus can stay here to rest.”  Rufus made a move to protest, but Jiya silenced him with a look.  “I’m ready to go whenever you are.”

 

Denise Christopher looked around at the group of individuals huddled at the base of the LifeBoat – this ragtag group of individuals she had come to love as dearly as her own children.  She heaved a heavy sigh.  “As much as I hate to leave you all, it’s more important now than ever that we secure the new premises for you as soon as possible.  This attack on our bunker is going to have my office working overtime for weeks, but as your security is our priority, this will also help streamline the remaining red tape for our new quarters and with me there spearheading the effort, you will have a safe place to return to by next Saturday.  I will provide Jiya with the proper coordinates for the new location so that you can jump directly there from here.  For the time being, you’re all refugees.” 

 

Respect was too insufficient a word for what they all felt for her in that moment.  She was more than just the Homeland Security agent assigned to their mission and protection, she was their friend, their leader, part of their family.  Flynn was probably the only one out of the entire group that didn’t feel love and admiration for this woman who had risked her life more than once to save their asses, but even Garcia Flynn had to admit that Denise Christopher was growing on him. 

 

Agent Christopher shook both Flynn and Wyatt’s hands, “It was my honor to serve with you both this evening.  You both are responsible for the safety of the others.   The Mothership will alert Emma of your presence here in 1945.  If she’s as desperate as we believe she is, you can bet that she will be here, looking for you.”  Normally so stoic and no-nonsense in her communications to them, Agent Christopher’s voice wavered as she looked down at the six faces staring back at her in the dark night.  Six individuals who were now more family to each other than they could have ever dreamed possible two years ago.  “Stay safe. I want all of you to come back home.” 

 

She nodded at Jiya, who clambered into the pilot’s seat.  With one last wave of her hand and a reminder that they had a little more than a week to lay low, the LifeBoat hatch closed and the time machine was gone once more.   

 

Jiya and the LifeBoat materialized a few moments later and this little band of time traveling refugees found themselves suddenly anxious over the prospect of staying hidden.  In all the times that they had traveled to the past, they had been the pursuers, chasing Rittenhouse through decades and centuries.  Garcia Flynn had been the exception here, but even he was feeling a bit unnerved at the idea that they were stuck here for a time. 

 

Rufus and Wyatt changed into their era appropriate attire and it was decided that once they found a place to stay, they could go shopping to outfit the rest of them in suitable apparel. They were here to blend in, after all, and Jiya’s Star Trek pajamas were definitely not the ideal garments for those wishing to lay low. 

 

The group walked slowly and silently through the woods until they found themselves on a main road. Once they were able to flag down a bus, the strange little group clambered on board and made their way in to New York City amid the gapes and stares of their fellow travelers.       

 

New York City shone like a beacon in front of them.  Lucy’s face was line with worry as they drove ever closer to the lights that seemed to defy the darkness.  Even here, in the past, she felt exposed.  Her face had been plastered over every news station in the present, but even though she was in a place where no one besides her fellow time travelers knew her, she couldn’t shake the feeling that there was no where she could go where she could truly hide.  No place felt safe.  She tried to shake those disconcerting thoughts from her head. 

 

 _There are millions of people in that city_.

_They can’t find us here – there’s too many people – they won’t know where to look._

_We’ll be safe.  We’ll be okay._

Lucy was repeating those words over and over again to herself, her brow furrowed in concentration and determination.  Wyatt was watching her, their shoulders bumping against each other as the bus bounced and rattled down the highway.  He tentatively reached out and placed his hand over hers.  “Lucy,” he whispered softly, rubbing the back of her palm with his thumb, “it’s going to be okay.  This was a good plan.” 

 

She gave his hand an appreciative squeeze and turned her face to his with a watery grin.  Her voice shook with emotion as she answered him.   “I hope so.”     

 


	4. Chapter 4

Jiya begged and pleaded to join in the festivities for VJ day and so it was decided that they would find a hotel that was relatively close to the action, so that if things went south, they could remove themselves from the situation as soon as possible.  They found rooms at the Hotel Bristol on 42ndStreet and 5thavenue.  Room rates for a double room were only $7.00.

 

“Are you kidding? SEVEN dollars for a hotel room in Manhattan?  Near Times Square??”  Jiya was definitely excited.  The hotel clerk smiled as politely as he could muttering something about “weirdos that come in after midnight” as he glanced at the strange attire of more than half of their group. 

 

They opted on getting three double rooms on the same floor, immediately next to each other.  While Jiya and Rufus were desirous to have their own room, Wyatt was adamant that Jiya share a room with Lucy.  If truth be told, Wyatt would have preferred sharing a room with Lucy so that they could at least talk privately, but he was not about to push for an arrangement that would leave Lucy in an awkward position. If rooming with Rufus and his thunderous snores were the price he had to pay for her comfort, he would gladly take it, which left Conner Mason and Garcia Flynn rounding out the third room. Lucy and Jiya took the middle room while men flanked them on either side, theirs being the only room without a gun, but as Rufus pointed out, “No one will mess with Lucy with Jiya around, she even scares the hell out of me.”

 

It was nearing 2AM and as the adrenaline rush from their mad escape from the bunker began to wane, they realized just how exhausted they all were.  Locks were checked and double checked, walls were spoken through to verify that everyone was safe and secure and then one by one they slipped off into a restless sleep – all of them still anxious and tense from the night’s activities and the situation they now found themselves in.

 

The next morning, Wyatt, Lucy and Rufus went shopping for themselves and their pajama clad team mates. After actually buying clothes, instead of stealing them, the trio hopped over to a bakery and brought up a breakfast of muffins, bagels and orange juice.  Lucy noted mentally how strange it felt to be doing something so ordinary as buying clothes and going to a bakery when none of them had been able to do something like that since they were taken to the bunker.  For one small moment, Lucy felt like any other person in the world and not a time travelling refugee.   By the time they got back to the hotel, they found that everyone had  congregated in the girls’ room, Jiya teaching them all card tricks as they waited for their friends.   

 

Once they had all breakfasted and changed, the boys began a round of poker while Jiya walked over to the window “I thought today was V-J Day?  How come it looks like every other day in New York?”

 

Lucy was hanging their newly bought dresses, but walked over to the window to look with Jiya.  “Well, the announcement for the end of the war doesn’t happen until after 1PM today, so we’ve still got another hour and half or so….well, _they_ do.  _We_ know it’s going to happen.” 

 

“Ugh.  I can’t wait.  It’s going to be so amazing…and that kiss?  We can actually be there to witness the most famous kiss in history.” Jiya gushed.

 

“Actually, the kiss wasn’t romantic at all.” Lucy said with a shrug. “Just some random sailor running through the streets kissing as many girls as he could lay his hands on.  A photographer just happened to snap the picture at the right moment.”

 

Rufus cackled “So you’re telling us that this kiss that I was supposed to be all informed about was just some dude assaulting women on the street?”

 

“Are you serious, Lucy? He didn’t even know her?” Jiya looked like the wind had completely gone out of her sails. 

 

Lucy shrugged her shoulders again. “Nope. He was just caught up in the moment.” 

 

Mason raised his eyebrows thoughtfully, “And history was made.”  He put down his cards and looked at Jiya who was frowning, “That photo isn’t about romance, Jiya.  It’s captures the excitement, the relief, the unbridled joy of the end of a war that took a nasty toll on the entire world.  You young people look at it and are either offended or enraptured by it.  Those of us who have a bit more um…experience, see it as the promise of a new beginning, the hope that the end of the war…or any war for that matter, brings with it.”

 

Lucy let out a small chuckle, “I would love to know what that feels like.”  Wyatt eyes flickered over to hers.  She gave an apologetic smile and looked away, but he continued to watch her.  He knew that this war with Rittenhouse had taken its toll on all of them, but for Lucy it was more.  It was personal.  They had done so much to destroy her and her happiness and he would never forgive himself for the role that he played in hurting her.  He had fallen into that damn trap so easily.  Now, as he watched her he could see the weariness weighing down on her, he could see what months of isolation and stress had wreaked on her emotionally…and he was determined to do something about it. 

 

He cleared his throat “So, what time do these festivities start?”

 

“Wait a minute, why?” asked Rufus wide-eyed and slightly panicky.  “Don’t tell me you want to go down there?  Last I heard we were supposed to be laying low, as in hide, as in don’t go someplace where Emma might turn up.”

 

Wyatt laughed at him, “I thought that’s why we got this hotel, so we could go out and actually enjoy life for a little while and then slink back here if we needed to.”

 

Rufus was not phased. “You remember Emma, right?  Crazy red-haired Emma who tried to kill me, Emma?  You think she’s going to let a few million people keep her from shooting us?”

 

 

Jiya grabbed Rufus’ face with both of her hands, “You are no fun, Rufus.” she teased. 

 

“Maybe, but I’d prefer to not die in 1945.”

Jiya understood, as they all did, that they weren't invincible. The last mission was a stark reminder of that fact. Still, the temptation to live life while they could was irresistible. 

 

“Forgive me if I’m wrong, but isn’t that why we came to this particular place and time?  So we could hide in plain sight?” Mason queried, now far more interested in the conversation than the game. 

 

Lucy bit her lip and considered.  It was tempting and she wanted nothing more than to keep her mind off of what had just happened at the bunker.  Yet she was worried that by venturing out, they would put themselves in a position of unnecessary risk.   She looked up at Wyatt.  He raised his eyebrows and gave her a smirk as if he knew exactly what she was thinking. “There are so many people here and we _could_ just blend into the crowd…but I don’t know, what if we run into her and someone gets hurt?”

 

“My thoughts exactly.” Rufus said with a satisfied nod of his head.  He rubbed his shoulder absent-mindedly remembering his last run in with Emma Whitmore. 

 

Wyatt and Jiya looked slightly disappointed.  Then Flynn spoke up, “What if she isn’t here at all and we sit around rotting in a hotel room for a week and then go back to a secure bunker and rot in there for a damned eternity? _I’ve_ been in prison and sometimes I think I had it better in there.”

 

For once, Wyatt was happy to have Flynn’s input.  “The way I see it, Emma is gonna have a hell of a time trying to find us in a mob.  I would rather take a chance so that we can actually enjoy life for once instead of constantly living in a hole like a damn rat. Like Mason said, we hide in plain sight.”

 

Lucy gave an exasperated sigh “Fine.  As long as we stick together and we come back at the first sign of trouble.  No splitting up, no heroics, we’re just going out and try to enjoy ourselves.”

 

Just as Lucy had said, the news announcing the end of the war came just after 1PM.  Millions of people poured into Times Square, from 40thto 52ndstreet, it was one giant block party.  As they made their way towards the festivities, any anxiety and fear they had about being discovered by Emma disappeared almost completely.  Lucy and Rufus were smiling from ear to ear as they scanned the crowd around them.  It would be nearly impossible for anyone to find someone they were looking for in this sea of people.  For the first time in what felt like years, they could wander the streets like regular people and for the first time ever, they could experience history instead of fighting to save it. 

 

Everywhere people were dancing, singing, and cheering.  Confetti floated down upon them from open windows, like multi-colored snowflakes. It was impossible not to get caught up in the excitement.  Mason and Rufus took turns dancing with Jiya and Lucy found herself at the mercy of more than one serviceman’s lips.  While she blushed and giggled, Wyatt worked hard to keep himself from punching the jackasses right in their damn mouths.  Fair is fair, however, and Lucy couldn’t help but notice the ladies hugging Wyatt and giving him kisses on the cheek as they made their way through the party scene.  Flynn rolled his eyes at Wyatt’s blushes, but even he was caught grinning as women threw themselves in his arms overcome with excitement.   

 

When they finally made their way back to their hotel, it was late and they were tired, but not one of them could remember when they had had so much fun without having their day spoiled in one way or another by Rittenhouse.  It had been so freeing to be out enjoying life, celebrating.  The gloom of the bunker wasn’t hanging over their heads, the fear of Rittenhouse finding them had been pushed to the fringes of their minds and yes, they were refugees, they had just been driven out of their time and out of their home in a surprise attack, but it seemed like that belonged to another life.  Here, they were safe, here they were happy.  Here they were just six people celebrating the end of a war they had never experienced. Their war was still raging at home, but here in the past, they were offered a reprieve from it and were happy to pretend, if only for a little while, that they had the same hope for the future as the people in 1945. 

 

Not finished celebrating, they made their way to the hotel bar to have a few drinks before heading to bed. Flynn stayed for one drink, complained of his bruised side and went back to the room.  Mason, sensing he was a bit of a fifth wheel, soon followed.  Rufus and Jiya stalked off to a small table, giggling leaving Wyatt and Lucy alone at the bar. 

 

For a while neither of them spoke - silence was preferable to awkward conversations, anyway, but yet there was so much that needed to be said.  Lucy finally nudged Wyatt’s arm, “Thank you for today.  I needed this.” 

 

Wyatt gazed at her intently, “We all needed it, Lucy” he dropped his voice down to a hoarse whisper, “but I’d be lying if I said I did it for anyone but you.  I wanted to see you happy again.” 

 

Her heart fluttered a little in her chest, remembering the last time he talked about her state of joy. It was 1941 and they were stealing a car after one perfect night by a sparkling pool.  She felt the heat rising in her cheeks, “You’re supposed to be worried about all of our safety, not my happiness.”

 

Wyatt frowned and Lucy was surprised to see the sadness that filled his eyes, “You should never have been unhappy to begin with, Lucy.” 

 

She looked down at the bar, knowing full well that if she kept looking into Wyatt Logan’s eyes, she would lose all control over the emotions that were currently battling their way to the surface.  “Wyatt – “she whispered.

 

He grabbed her hand, “Lucy, listen, I don’t expect anything from you.  Not now, not ever, but if I have to work every day to make up for what I did, I will.  I would do anything for you, Lucy.”

 

_Except choose me over Jessica._

Wyatt dropped her hand and hung his head down and it was a few moments before Lucy realized she had said that out loud.  She was suddenly horrified and gasped “Wyatt, I’m – “

 

“You don’t have to apologize, Lucy” his eyes were closed, his voice strained with emotion.  “I deserve it.  I left you standing there while I ran off to find _her_.  I brought her to the damn bunker.” He shook his head with self-reproach.  “I messed everything up and now I have to live with it.”

 

He quietly paid for their drinks, gave her a soft smile and then left the bar.

 

Lucy sat there battling with herself.  She couldn’t deny how she felt about Wyatt, but he had hurt her and with that hurt came a wall of defense around her heart.  Jessica was still out there, alive and she wasn’t sure if she could trust him fully with her heart again.  Not yet. It hadn’t been that long since Jessica betrayed them, since Wyatt shared his bed with her, and yet here, they were 73 years removed from that awful time.  It was so easy to pretend that the realities of their situation didn’t exist here in 1945, but Lucy couldn’t help but fear that the minute they stepped off that time machine and back in the present, she would find herself heartbroken all over again.  The fact that they were once again in the 1940s didn’t help matters.  All day she had been reminded of the last time she had seen him dressed in that sweater, how happy they had been – and the memory of it made her ill, because she also remembered with fresh pain how quickly it had all been snatched away.  Maybe that’s why she had blurted that out about Jessica – the alcohol had loosened her tongue which betrayed the thought that had plagued her for months.  Jessica was always Wyatt’s first choice. 

 

But just as soon as she had that thought, her mind recalled _her_ words to Wyatt during that fateful phone call.  _She’s your wife and you love her_. “Yeah, but you and me.” he had said…and when he apologized what did she say?  _Don’t be._   She wondered that if she had fought for him a little more instead of throwing up the defenses, if maybe he wouldn’t have been so ready to reconcile with Jessica.  She had spent most of that time thinking about what she thought Wyatt wanted and didn’t even consider what it was she wanted.   

 

She waved to Rufus and Jiya and pointed towards the lobby, indicating that she was going to go upstairs.  They nodded at her, Jiya giving her a concerned look as she noticed the despondency etched across Lucy’s face.  She was lost in thought as she reached their floor, she ran right into Wyatt as he paced the corridor in front of their rooms. 

 

“Lucy, I’m sorry –“

 

“No, no Wyatt, I’m sorry.  I - I wasn’t looking.”

 

 They stood there staring at each other, both filled with too much emotion and maybe a little too much alcohol.  Lucy cleared her throat. “Wyatt, listen, I really didn’t mean –“

 

“It’s okay, Lucy.  Really.  I don’t want you beating yourself up over this.  You have every right in the world to hate me.”  Lucy protested.  “No, let me finish – you should hate me, you shouldn’t even want to be in the same room with me, let alone talk with me – but you do…and dammit Lucy, it just makes me love you even more than I already do.  I don’t deserve you or any of it”          

Lucy blinked away tears that were forming and slowly lifted her eyes to meet his.  She was afraid to ask the question, but she needed the answer. Her disparaging thoughts would plague her until the end of time if she didn’t find out. “Wyatt, when did you know you loved me?”

 

He sighed and then tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.  “I fell in love with you slowly and then all at once, Lucy.  I might have tried to convince myself otherwise, but that night in Arkansas in 1934 meant everything.  When I kissed you, I knew then I had already been in love with you for a long time.” He tentatively stroked her cheek with his thumb, searching her eyes for a hint of understanding. 

 

To say Lucy was surprised by this revelation was an understatement.  She gasped and scrunched up her face as if trying it make sense of it all.  “But – but…you stole the time machine.  You broke the law to try to get her back, Wyatt.” 

 

He dropped his hand from her face, closed his eyes, and rubbed the back of his neck, “I know. I know I did.” his voice quiet and racked with regret. 

 

Lucy watched him in silence, her emotions at war within her. She wanted to trust him. He supposedly loved her, but he had left to save his wife. Hell, he ran after Jessica again after 1941. How could she trust him? He had never given any indication to her before that he was conflicted, that he was struggling with his feelings fro her. And then suddenly she was hit with a memory, a conversation she and Jiya had after he had stolen the time machine with Rufus. “But you came to me, first  - to tell me” she murmured softly, almost to herself, not looking at him.  “Why?” She raised her eyes to look at him once more.  His eyes were swimming with tears, it was clear he was wrestling with his own emotions.  “Why?” she asked again, louder as she stepped towards him.

 

“Because I had to try, Lucy. No matter what I felt for you, I couldn’t move forward – not when I had that damn name, not when I had a damn time machine.  I lived for six years with guilt and pain and -  hell, Lucy…I was such a screw up, I couldn’t believe that any one like you could feel anything for someone like me.  Someone who had left their wife to die on the side of the road.”

 

Lucy stepped even closer to him, her hands stroking his face – he didn’t answer the question. “Why did you come to me that night, Wyatt?”

 

He looked almost ashamed of himself as he spoke, “I wanted to see you one last time before – “

 

She didn’t let him finish, she pressed her lips to his, completely taking him by surprise.  He wrapped his arms around her as the elevator door dinged open.  They just as quickly pulled away from each other, as Rufus and Jiya came waltzing into the corridor, arm and arm still laughing and smiling at one another.

 

“Oh hey, guys!” Jiya exclaimed.  Her eyes darted to Lucy, then to Wyatt and back to Lucy, both of their faces flush, both of them breathing heavily.  “Did we interrupt something?”

 

Lucy shook herself and cast a sheepish look at Wyatt, “No, I was just saying good-night to Wyatt.” 

 

Wyatt cleared his throat and looked at the carpet, “Mmhmm…night Lucy.”  He chanced a glance back up towards her as she opened the door to her room. She looked over her shoulder and gave him a small smile.   That smile sent Wyatt’s heart soaring.  He looked up at the ceiling, spun on his heel and quickly entered his own room with a “Night Jiya, see ya Rufus” as he shut the door behind him. 

 

Rufus and Jiya were left standing in the hallway, opened mouth with a look of total confusion on their faces.  “That was weird, right?”  Rufus asked. 

 

“Definitely weird.” Jiya answered. 

 

Rufus leaned towards Jiya’s ear and whispered “Do you think we interrupted something?   

 

“I think we totally interrupted something.”

 

They gave each other a high five and separated into their respective rooms, silently determined to figure out what the hell had just happened between Lucy and Wyatt.   


	5. Chapter 5

Wyatt was up bright and early the next morning, he was so desperate to see Lucy again, it took everything he had not to leave his room and break down her door.  He was showered, dressed and pacing the floor, unable to stop the mounting feelings of uncertainty and doubt that had been plaguing him all night.  Rufus was not at all pleased with this development, he groaned as he pressed a pillow over his head.  “Dude, what the hell?  It’s not even daylight outside.”

 

“Hmm?  Oh, sorry Rufus.” Wyatt sat down on the edge of his bed. 

 

Rufus rolled over and peeked at Wyatt from under the pillow, “Alright, what is going on?  He yawned.  “Jiya and I get off the elevator and you and Lucy both look like the cat that ate the canary.” 

 

“The cat that ate the canary?”  Wyatt smirked.  “Really, Rufus?”

 

Rufus sat upright and threw the pillow down in front of him, glaring at Wyatt. “Spill it.”

 

“Nothing happened, Rufus.”

 

“Uh-huh and I’m sure that nothing is why you’re up pacing this room before the crack of dawn like some sort of crazed, lovesick animal.”

 

Wyatt sighed, “Okay, you know how badly I screwed things up.”  Rufus nodded. “I don’t know, I just thought that Lucy and I would never – “ he hesistated, not sure which verbage to use. 

 

“-happen” Rufus supplied for him.

 

Wyatt shrugged. “Yeah” he nodded, thinking over the conversation of the previous night, Lucy’s hands on his face, the feel of her lips pressed to his. 

 

“Are you still with me?” Rufus asked with a smile.  Wyatt glanced at him, surprisingly happy that he could sort through this with his friend.  “So…..it happened?”

 

“I’m not sure”, Wyatt said with a groan.  “She kissed me.  I didn’t expect her to after last night and I’m not even sure _why_ she kissed me. Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe she didn’t mean to, maybe she regrets it.”  Rufus was doing his best to try to hide his amusement, but he was failing. Wyatt was pacing again, running his hands through his hair.  He stopped, when he heard Rufus let out a small chuckle.   “You’re laughing at me, aren’t you?” he said suddenly defensive. 

 

Rufus shook his head, “Wyatt, I don’t think you have anything to worry about, man.  Lucy is a lot of things, but one thing she is NOT, is insincere.” 

 

Wyatt considered Rufus’ words, nodded his head, then grabbed a pillow off of his own bed and threw it roughly at his friend.  “Thanks, man”

 

“Don’t mention it” yawned Rufus.  “Now go back to sleep or get the hell out.  Some of us are battling a hangover.”

  

The large crowds had dispersed, but the care-free feeling of the team, the excitement they felt had not diminished with them.  They felt alive and they almost foolishly wanted more, though they knew it was risky to push their luck.  After it was clear that everyone was awake and dressed, they all ventured down to eat breakfast together at a café just outside their hotel, not daring to go beyond their safety net any more than necessary.   

 

Rufus and Jiya both watched Wyatt and Lucy like they were the main exhibit at a zoo.  If they were aware of the attention they were receiving, they acted completely oblivious to it.  Though they sat at separate tables with Mason in between them, they kept stealing glances at one another, softly smiling to themselves and sipping their coffee.  After a few minutes of observing the scene, Flynn put down his own mug and leaned over to Rufus. “You know, Rufus, it’s impolite to stare at people when they’re trying to enjoy a meal.”

 

Rufus jumped “I don’t know what you mean, Flynn” Rufus picked up his fork and stabbed at his eggs.

 

“Oh, I think you do and I think it has everything to do with the conversation Lucy and Wyatt had in the hall last night.”  Flynn sat back and brought his coffee mug back to his lips. 

 

Rufus stared at him open-mouthed.  “How do you – wait a minute, are you telling me you heard them last night?  What did they say?” he whispered. 

 

Flynn gave him a satisfied smirk and said nothing more. 

 

Jiya was determined to get to the bottom of the “Wyatt and Lucy situation” as she and Rufus called it, and therefore proposed to the others that they spend the next week as tourists.  She reasoned that the more fun they all spent away from the hotel, away from the reminders of Rittenhouse and why they were there, the more at ease they all could be and hopefully, with the right encouragement, Wyatt and Lucy could find their way back to each other. 

 

“Okay, I know you all are going to think I’m crazy and maybe yes, it’s pushing our luck a bit, but I think we need a vacation.  No.  We deserve a vacation and the way I see it – this is our only chance to get to be somewhat normal for a while, so why not take advantage of that?  We should go sightseeing, go to Coney Island – do anything and everything that we can to make this week the best week of our lives”

 

Everyone looked at Jiya as if she had just spoken in tongues.  Rufus was the first to speak up.  “Okay, yesterday was awesome – I’ll give you that, but you’re talking about wandering around the city when Emma could be out there right now, trying to hunt us down.”

 

Jiya slammed her hand down on the table, “This city is home to millions of people.  It’s huge.  Emma has no idea where we are, there’s no historical event that will pull us all together.  Yesterday was it – and she didn’t find us – so the chances of her being in the same place at the same time as we are, well, they’re pretty small.”  She looked hopefully at the five other faces gathered around the various tables, all of them looking at her, considering. 

 

No one said a word for what felt like an eternity.  Rufus was about to breathe out a hearty sigh of relief when Lucy set down her coffee and cleared her throat.  “I agree with Jiya.” she said simply.  Wyatt gave her a big grin, but she purposefully did not look at him.  “I’m tired of Rittenhouse running my life.  If I’m not trying to keep them from destroying history or destroying my happiness, I’m hiding from them.”  She threw down her napkin and leaned back in her chair. “We’re here in 1945 because of them.  Why not try to enjoy ourselves before we have to go back to living like prisoners?” 

 

Mason clapped his hands with anticipation.  “Where shall we start?”

 

First, they bought a camera – because as Jiya so rightly pointed out, how could they be proper tourists without one?  Then they jumped on the Subway and made their way down to Battery Park where they boarded the Staten Island Ferry and visited the Statue of Liberty.  Snapping photos of each other and of Lady Liberty, herself, felt surreal.  It had been so long since any one of them had done anything this normal, but for this group of six time travelers it was anything but since they were 73 years out of their own time.  Lucy, ever ready with historical knowledge and background information, supplied them the story of how the statue was gifted to the United States by France and the subsequent battle to have it built once it arrived here.  Rufus turned to Wyatt after Lucy’s history lesson and whispered “Wow, it’s amazing how much more I enjoy these mini lectures of hers when I’m not in fear of my life.” 

 

Mason suggested attending a Broadway show as their next day’s excursion, but everyone wanted to see something different, and the ensuing argument almost ended in disaster before Rufus suggested they draw straws.  Lucy had drawn the shortest straw and was therefore given the power to choose what they would all see.  She was torn between _Oklahoma!_ and _Harvey,_ which, she informed them, happened to be one of her favorite classic films _._ The men absolutely refused to sit through a musical, so _Harvey_ it was. Wyatt sat next to Lucy in the theatre. He watched her face light up as familiar scenes played out live in front of them.  He had never seen the movie, but he could see why it was a favorite of hers. Elwood P. Dowd was such an endearing character, full of kindness towards everyone he met – even though most people thought he was crazy.  Seeing an invisible 6 foot tall rabbit would tend to do that, Wyatt reasoned, but the play, itself was better than he had expected when Lucy had first given him the synopsis.  Wyatt smiled at her in the darkened theater as she mouthed a memorized verse. “In this world, Elwood, you must be oh so smart or oh so pleasant.  For years, I was smart.  I recommend pleasant.  You may quote me.”  She turned and noticed Wyatt looking at her.  She blushed a little and shook her head, shrugging her shoulders apparently embarrassed that he had caught her uttering the lines.  Lucy might have felt self-conscious, but Wyatt was sure that he had never loved her more.    

 

After dinner that night, Lucy and Wyatt walked side by side, fingers brushing fingers, neither one daring to make the first move to grasp the others hand.  Despite all the time they were spending together, they hadn’t had a moment to themselves so that they could talk about what had happened just a few nights before.  Still, these little moments together, away from the bunker, away from Rittenhouse, away from their crazy, messed up lives gave them a sense of normalcy and peace which did much to heal the wounds to their relationship that had been so recently inflicted.       

 

They next few days were a blur.  They saw the Empire State Building, walked across the Brooklyn Bridge, and Jiya won the coin toss which had them going to see the Radio City Rockettes instead of watching the Brooklyn Dodgers play the Chicago Cubs.  This small victory of Jiya’s set off such a protest from the guys that Lucy and Jiya finally agreed to go to the baseball game the following day when the Dodgers played the Pirates. 

 

They were just leaving Ebbets Field after an exciting win by the Dodgers, when Wyatt saw a flash of red hair in the corner of his eye.  He stopped and turned, grasping Lucy’s arm pulling her closer to him protectively. “What is it?” she looked around at him, suddenly concerned. 

 

Wyatt scanned the crowd, searching for any sign of Emma Whitmore.  Flynn turned and saw Wyatt’s tensed figure and approached him with an expectant look on his face.  Wyatt shook his head.  “I thought I saw red hair.”he murmured.   Suddenly all of the apprehension that met them almost a week ago when they first landed in 1945, was back.  Wyatt and Flynn were on full alert, looking over the crowd, trying to catch a glimpse of who or what Wyatt saw.

 

Lucy breathed out a sigh. “Well, it doesn’t necessarily mean it was Emma, does it?  I mean, there are _other_ people with red hair.”  But Wyatt wasn’t convinced.  They had been enjoying themselves too much, and he had to admit, he had let his guard down a bit.  He muttered something to Flynn who nodded his head and marched off towards Rufus and Jiya. 

 

“Mason” Wyatt called. “You’re with Lucy and me.  Flynn’s got Rufus and Jiya.” Lucy couldn’t help but notice that their three companions were headed in an opposite direction.  She pointed this out to Wyatt who explained. “They’re going another way back to the hotel.  We’re both going to be making a few stops in between just to be sure.”

 

They hailed a taxi and set off towards a hotel in Queens.  Only to run around the corner and jump in another taxi towards some restaurant in Manhattan.  They switched taxis a few more times, ascertained that they weren’t followed and then entered their hotel.  They were joined in the lobby by Flynn, Rufus and Jiya a few minutes later. 

 

“Okay, “Rufus breathed, “I’m officially freaked out.”

 

“You made sure you weren’t followed?” Wyatt asked Flynn

 

“I double backed and switched cabs.  We even took a water taxi.  I didn’t see any sign of Emma.”  Flynn said matter of factly. 

 

Wyatt nodded.  It bothered him that he had seen that red hair but just as quickly lost sight of it…like the person was hiding.  If he had caught another glimpse of it in his search, he might have been put at ease – but the not knowing was eating him alive. He wasn’t about to take anymore risks.  “Alright, I say for the next few days we stay here, we lay low.”  Jiya began to complain. “I don’t like it any more that you do, but we need to stay safe.  We should maybe even consider switching hotels.” 

 

They decided that they would spend the next few days, moving from hotel to hotel just to be sure.  They stayed at the Algonquian on night and then moved on to the Iroqouis, going in groups of three and never going directly to the hotel.  Their final night had them sitting in a small inn in Brooklyn.  Jiya was visibly upset. 

 

“We had such a perfect first week here.  Why don’t we do something on our last day, so that we leave on a high note.  We haven’t seen hide nor hair of Emma – we’re not even sure that _was_ Emma.” 

 

Wyatt was nervous, but as he looked over at Lucy he could tell that the stress was getting to her again. He hated seeing her like this, she looked trapped and anxious – worry lines creasing her forehead as she rubbed her hands together mindlessly.  He thought back to just a few nights before when she had been so carefree sitting in the theater – that was the life she deserved to have.  Not this.  Not running for her life and hiding.  He exchanged looks with Flynn who shrugged at him.  “Okay, Jiya – what did you have in mind?”

 

She grinned widely, “How about we spend our last day in Coney Island?”  As she looked around the room, she saw lots of raised eyebrows and shaking heads.  “No, listen. It’ll be crowded, right?  And we’ve been keeping such a low profile.   We don’t even have to stay that long.  I just think we should have one last bit of fun before we have to go back to reality.”

 

The six of them set off in groups of three again, Flynn and Wyatt agreeing to meet at the Wonder Wheel with their respective groups in tow.  Once again, with the crowds and the excitement that surrounded them, the anxiety of the past few days seemed to melt away as they rode the Cyclone, screamed and laughed as they swung wildly on the Wonder Wheel and sat on park benches eating candy apples.  Rufus was loathe to admit it, but Jiya was right.  There had been no sign of Emma and they were having the time of their lives.   

 

Lucy caught Wyatt gazing fondly at her as they rode the Merry Go-Round.  “What?” She asked innocently smiling at him “I don’t have candy apple on my face, do I?”  she began swiping her finger over her cheeks. 

 

He shook his head and held out his hand.  She grinned and took it.  Riding this silly ride was the first time they had been somewhat alone in almost a week. Wyatt swallowed hard as he fought the nerves that were suddenly building in his chest.  He leaned over on his horse so she could hear him over the pipe organ music.  “Lucy, I know we’re doing this completely backwards, but I was just wondering if maybe you’d want to –“ he coughed suddenly and looked around as if to see if anyone was listening.

 

As he turned back to her shot her a devilish smirk.  “Lucy Preston, will you go on a date with me?”

 

Lucy’s face went from complete shock to utter amusement in about two seconds flat.  She giggled in spite of herself.  Wyatt was still smirking at her, eyebrows raised in expectation of her answer.  Lucy caught sight of this and shook herself free of her giddiness. “Oh” she exclaimed “were you – were you being serious?”

 

Wyatt felt like an explanation was in order.  The ride was stopping so he helped her down and they removed themselves to a quiet-ish park bench away from the crowds and the carnival music.  He held both of her hands in his, startled by the anxiety he heard in his own voice, “Listen, Lucy….I know we haven’t had a chance to talk since that night in the hall and I don’t know if you meant to kiss me or if you even remember doing it – “

 

Lucy tilted her head at him and then suddenly leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek.  He looked back at her in pleasant surprise.  “I remember, Wyatt.”

 

He smiled at her, “Good.” For a moment, he was at a complete loss for words.  The kiss to his cheek and the fact that she had just admitted that she had meant to kiss him the other night, sent his heart and his mind reeling.  She squeezed his hand and called him back to his senses. “Listen, I don’t want to mess things up with us more than I already have. I want to do this right – I want to take this slow.”  He gently cupped her jaw in one of his hands and tilted his forhead to hers.   “I want to take you on a damn date, complete with flowers and a nice dinner and MAYBE if I haven’t screwed up too bad, I can give you a kiss at the end of the night.  I don’t want to talk about Rittenhouse or time travel or any of the crap we deal with every day.  I want to talk about you.  I want to talk about me.” She pulled back slightly and looked at him with surprise – _Wyatt Logan talking about himself?_   Wyatt seemed to read the expression on her face.  “I want to talk about us.  You deserve that, Lucy.” She blinked at him, unable to quite process what was happening.  Since she hadn’t objected to anything yet, Wyatt plowed on, “If I can get Rufus to give me a solid, I’d like to take you out tomorrow.  Unless you, ya know – have plans?” He gave her a small smirk.   

 

Lucy smiled and it made Wyatt’s nerves disappear.  With their lives in chaos all the time, she had never even considered a date…a normal date…as a possibility.  Dating Wyatt? Well, after the last couple of months, that seemed even less likely.  Yet here they were, sitting on a park bench together in 1945, making plans to do just that.  “Wyatt, of course I’ll go on a date with you.”  She hesitated.   “But don’t we have to get back tomorrow?” 

 

“That’s just the thing. That bucket of bolts only has two more jumps left before it needs to recharge, meaning that once it takes the first group back, it’s going to have to recharge for a while before making its trip back here, so that the next group can take the trip back…otherwise we’d be stuck here indefinitely.  I figure, we let Mason, Flynn, Rufus and Jiya go on that first trip while you and I stay behind for our date.  Rufus can pick us up later that evening.”

 

Wyatt had really thought this through and she was beyond flattered.  He wanted to go on a date with her and if Rufus agreed, which Lucy had no doubt he would, they could actually pull it off like a regular couple. No Rittenhouse, no bunker, no military rations – a date in New York City, no less – in her favorite era.  The idea of being stuck in 1945 indefinitely didn’t sound like a bad idea.  If it meant dates with Wyatt Logan, she would gladly take up permanent residence.  The prospect of being together, alone, away from everyone and everything connected to their reality was more than anything she had ever wished for, but suddenly she was afraid.  She suddenly realized that her entire relationship with Wyatt, had always been connected to the mission.  They had never known each other outside of this assignment.  What if they didn’t have anything to talk about?  What if at the end of all of this, he thought she was the boring nerd she always believed herself to be?  Her self-doubt was rising by the second.  She bowed her head and gave a nervous laugh, lifting her eyes to his face. “You’re absolutely sure you want to go out on the town with me, Sergeant?”  

 

Wyatt once again, tilted his forehead to meet hers as he whispered, “Yes, ma’am.”

 

She sighed and smiled. “It’s a date, then.”

 

Rufus did not need to be convinced to give Wyatt the extra time for their evening together.  Jiya made Lucy buy a new dress and helped her with her hair and makeup before she, Rufus, Flynn and Mason hopped in a cab and headed off to the small little bus depot in the woods of New Jersey, near the time machine.  “See you at midnight” Rufus winked at Wyatt as he saw them off in the taxi.  Wyatt grabbed a bouquet from the florist shop and ran into the hotel.   

 

He leapt over stairs two at a time and made it to the room formerly occupied by Lucy and Jiya and knocked on the door.

 

Lucy’s hair was curled and pinned back partially, her dark locks bouncing gracefully on her bare shoulders. The dress she wore was an off the shoulder deep blue evening gown that was breathtaking against her ivory skin.  Wyatt’s mouth hung slightly ajar as he handed her the bouquet of flowers. “You look incredible.” He managed to squeak out.  She blushed and smiled at him.  “Why, thank Mr. Logan.”  He offered her his arm.  As she slid her arm through his she hugged herself against him, “So, where are you taking me on our very first date?”

 

He smirked at her. They had six hours, six hours to have the best damn date they could have and Wyatt wanted it to be something she would always remember – he just hoped they could have time for all that he had planned “I snagged us tickets for that musical you wanted to see.  The rest, is going to be a surprise.

 

Lucy was amazed that Wyatt sat through an entire musical without once rolling his eyes or falling asleep.  For as much as he and the rest of the boys had protested when she had listed her choices, she couldn’t help but smile as he sat next to her, holding her hand and was even more astonished when she caught him humming a tune or two.  They left the theatre arm in arm, Wyatt ushering her into another cab as they set off for their next destination. 

 

They arrived at the Ritz-Carlton for dinner and Lucy was beyond impressed.  They were seated a small table in the midst of a ballroom filled with elegant couples swaying to the music of a 1940s band. 

 

If Lucy was nervous about not having anything to talk about, her fears were quickly allayed.  She teased him about his secret love of musical theatre.  He teased her about her singing along to all of the songs and told her that she had missed her calling.  On and on they went, talking about everything and anything like they were just like any other couple in the world and suddenly Lucy felt a pang as reality slowly started to set in.

 

Wyatt noticed the abrupt change in her features and grasped her hand.  “What’s wrong, Lucy?”

 

She smiled at him, “I know we aren’t supposed to talk about Rittenhouse or any of it tonight, but I was just thinking of how much I’m going to miss _this_ when we go back tonight.” 

 

Wyatt couldn’t help but agree with her.  These past few days with a carefree Lucy had Wyatt more in love with her than ever. He was painfully reminded of the last time he had seen her laugh, smile and sing.  It was four years ago from their present situation - 1941, only a few months in reality, but feeling like a lifetime of heartache, pain, separation and longing that could not be ignored.  His guilt was fresh in his mind, but somehow going to the theater, frolicking at Coney Island, touring New York City, in short, doing something so normal was refreshing and rejuvenating.  This past week had been so oddly different from anything they had ever done together since the first day they met, that couldn’t help but feel as if this was a glimpse of another life, another time.  What they could’ve been, should’ve been without time machines, Rittenhouse, and undead wives.

 

As they ate their dinner, Wyatt felt brave enough to approach the topic he had been avoiding like the plague since that night in the hotel.  He didn’t want to bring it up, but he knew if they were going to have any kind of future together, he was going to have to address the proverbial elephant in the room.  “Lucy,” he coughed.  She looked up at him expectantly, her beautiful doe-like eyes fixed on his.  “I know – I know you think I chose Jessica over you.”

 

She swallowed hard. She wasn’t expecting this conversation again.  Not here. Not now.  She began to fidget, but Wyatt grabbed her free hand, pleading with her silently to stay and hear him out. 

 

 “When I got that message, Lucy – I was just so shocked – I wasn’t thinking straight.  I ran out before I even realized what I was doing, what I had done.  I was suddenly married, my wife was alive and I – I just wanted to say that I’m so sorry, Lucy.  I never meant to make you feel like you were second best.  You never were.  I never stopped loving you.”

 

Lucy set down her fork, her eyes fixed on the table.  A jolt of panic went through Wyatt’s heart when he spied a tear slide down her cheek.  _Shit._ He made her cry on their first date.  This isn’t the way he had planned this night at all.  “Lucy, I’m – I’m sorry I shouldn’t have said – “

 

She looked up at him sadly and held his hand, “Thank you, Wyatt.”  He breathed a sigh of relief.  “I don’t blame you for what you did – for leaving, I mean.  I think of what I would’ve done if that had been Amy.” She stopped, unsure of whether she had the courage to say what she wanted to say next. "I should've fought harder for you. I didn't know that you - well, you know..." She sighed heavily. "You told me that night in the hall that you knew you loved me after that kiss in 1934.  That you came to me before you stole the LifeBoat because you wanted to see me one last time.  I – I just” she bit her lower lip and looked away from him as she whispered, almost to herself, “I didn’t know, Wyatt.  I just always thought that I could never compare to her. When you told me she was back, I...I just went on the defensive....I never imagined I could be an option...that you would ever choose me, so I took myself off the table...to make it easier for you.” 

 

Wyatt stood up and offered her his hand while he gently tugged her out of her seat and pulled her onto the dance floor.  His hand rested on the small of her back while his other hand held hers close to his heart.  They swayed back and forth to _Star Dust,_ the melancholy notes of the music perfectly capturing the sense of love and longing between them.  Lucy’s head was tilted gently against Wyatt’s cheek.  “Lucy, that day I told you I had no regrets back in the bunker?  That was a lie.”  She pulled away from him slightly.  “I regretted every damn minute that I wasn’t spending with you.”

 

“Wyatt – “

 

“No, Lucy, I need to say this – please.  I loved Jessica…not this Rittenhouse version of her…but _my_ Jessica, but the truth of that matter is Lucy, I idealized so much of our marriage.  She died because we had had another fight.  It was a stupid fight, but it was bad enough that I left her there on the side of that road.  It should have never gotten to that point, Lucy.  Our marriage wasn’t working…but I lied to myself – and I kept on lying to myself even after she died.”

 

‘Why?”

 

Wyatt sighed.  “Guilt and I don’t know, maybe because I didn’t want to be like my dad – a world class sonofabitch who ruined his family with his alcohol and his temper.”  Wyatt sighed “And then when she came back and she told me what a terrible husband I _had_ been, I stupidly and selfishly wanted to make it right.  Not for Jessica, but for me.” He looked at her with shame etched all over his face. “ _Me_ , Lucy. God, I was so damn selfish. I had grieved six years and put my marriage on a damn pedestal only to be told that I would’ve screwed it up anyway – and my pride couldn’t take it. I had to prove I was better than that, that I could somehow make myself not be the asshole I was – and in the end, I became an even bigger asshole, because I hurt the one person that I loved more than anything, the person who saved me when I was ready to throw it all away.”  He hung his head down, not daring to look at her.  “Lucy, I’ll never not be sorry for that.  I could live through every century a hundred times and still hate myself for hurting you.  You should have never felt less than Jessica.  You never were. If I had been honest with myself...and with you...you never would’ve felt that way.”

 

Lucy, sensing Wyatt giving into brooding thoughts, decided to lighten the mood. She gave him a devilish smirk, “So what you’re saying is that you would steal a time machine to save me?” she teased.

 

Wyatt laughed, “You know, when I lost you for six weeks, I almost went insane.  Agent Christopher almost court martialed me.”

 

Lucy gasped in surprise. “You’re kidding.”

 

“Nope.  You can ask Rufus.  I even stole his grinder and tried to cut through the door to find you.” 

 

Lucy leaned her head against his again, “But you did find me.”

 

Wyatt hugged her closer to him, “Yes, I did.” He sighed.  “Thank God.” 

 

Lucy leaned back and gently stroked his face with her fingers, tilting his face to hers.  The entire evening had been like a dream. She couldn’t have planned a more perfect evening.  Wyatt, for all of his talk of screw ups and not ever being enough, had managed to sweep her completely off of her feet.  She wanted to express how grateful she was to him, how deeply she felt for him, but her voice caught in her throat.  Her eyes flickered to his lips as they moved impossibly close to one another.  Her lips were hovering just above his, as he breathed her in, closing his eyes in anticipation of the sweetness of her kiss. Their hearts were pounding and the entire room seemed to disappear around them.  She let out a soft moan as his lips grazed hers when an all too familiar voice shook them out of their reverie.

 

“Mind if I cut in?”

 

Lucy shuddered as Wyatt breathed out a curse.

 

 _Jessica._   


	6. Chapter 6

“You may not have noticed, but we’re kind of on a date” Wyatt growled.

 

“And you two look adorable” Jessica replied as she walked up from behind Lucy wrapping an arm around Lucy’s neck in a mock hug.  “But this little game of hide and seek is over.” She pressed a gun into Lucy’s back just between her ribs.  Wyatt made a move for his own before Jessica pressed harder into Lucy’s back, “Reach for that gun Wyatt, and your girlfriend dies.”

 

“Okay” said Lucy as Wyatt slowly moved his hand away from his holster, “you found us, so now what?”

 

“Oh, you’ll be coming with me, we have our futures to discuss.”  She nudged Lucy in the back to direct her off of the dance floor. “Cinderella time, kids.  Fairy tale is over.”

 

Wyatt nodded to Lucy and she knew exactly what he wanted her to do.  She kicked back with her heel hard into Jessica’s knee and rammed her in the ribs with her elbows causing her to stumble backwards.   Wyatt twisted the gun out of Jessica’s hand and made to run off, but Lucy, boiling with anger at the woman who had betrayed them all and hurt Wyatt so badly, slammed her fist into the side of Jessica’s face and sent her sailing into the next table. 

 

Wyatt raised his eyebrows at Lucy.  “I don’t remember teaching you that.” He smirked and kissed her hand as they ran out of the ballroom together.

 

“Jiya might have shown me a few things.” Lucy huffed out as she lifted her skirt to run down the stairs. 

 

“Remind me to thank, Jiya.” Wyatt said as he shot a glace behind him seeing a much worse for wear Jessica, flanked by two goons each with their guns drawn.   He pulled out his own gun and ducked himself and Lucy into a side passage.  They made their way quickly through a long corridor desperately in search of an exit, finding only locked doors.  “Shit!” Wyatt breathed out.  They made their way down the hall until they came to another side hallway.  Seeing a door at the end of the new passage, Wyatt started down that way, calling to Lucy over his shoulder, “C’mon.” 

 

They were almost to the end door when it opened to reveal Emma Whitmore and another one of her brutes. Emma lifted her gun and smirked “Well, well, well…look what we found.”

 

Lucy turned to see Jessica running towards them from the other end of the corridor.  They were trapped.  “Wyatt,” she sighed.  “looks like our date is over.”

 

Wyatt blocked Lucy with his arm, pushing her towards the wall glancing up and down the hallway. Lucy could see he was desperately seeking a way out of this situation, but she knew it was fruitless.  Emma had them cornered.  Five guns now pointed directly at them. 

 

Lucy lightly touched Wyatt’s arm, stepping out from behind him as he lowered it, gaping at her. “What are you doing?” he hissed. 

 

Lucy turned to him, “Wyatt, there’s no way out of this and you’re not dying to protect me from a losing battle.”  Lucy turned her attention to Emma, “Okay, you’ve got me – now what the hell do you want?” 

 

Emma smirked at Lucy. “Smart move, princess.  I would’ve hated to bloody up that pretty face of yours again.”  Wyatt absolutely flinched.  “Easy there, soldier” Emma laced her arm into Lucy’s, “You and I are going to have a nice long chat.”  She began walking Lucy towards the exit door as Lucy kept looking over her shoulder at Wyatt who was still surrounded by Emma’s thugs and Jessica. 

 

“No! I’m not leaving without Wyatt.”  Lucy dug her heels into the floor, causing Emma to pull her along towards the now open door. 

 

“You don’t move and I have them shoot him right now.”

 

Lucy hung her head down and chanced a glance up at Wyatt.  He was shaking her head at her, willing her to resist, to fight, but she couldn’t let him die.  She gave him an apologetic tilt of her head and looked sharply up at Emma.  “Let him go, you came here for me, right?  Now you have me – let him go.”

 

Emma smiled, “Oh princess, don’t worry.  He’s going to prove pretty useful to us.”  Emma nodded at her goons, two of them left Wyatt’s side and joined her, the other two descended on Wyatt, punching and kicking him as Lucy struggled to wrench herself out of Emma’s grasp, screaming his name as her brutes pushed her out into the darkened street outside. 

 

      

                                    __________________________________

 

Rufus, Jiya and Mason spent the majority of the time in their new home configuring the computer system to the new monitors and setting up a new launch system in the LifeBoat’s new docking bay.  Jiya and Rufus worked side by side, talking animatedly about what could be happening on Wyatt and Lucy’s night on the town.  They were just taking wagers about the couple’s current state of undress when Conner Mason clicked his tongue at them.   

 

“Really, you two – after everything they’ve been through these past few months don’t you think they deserve a little time to themselves without everybody treating them like some sideshow at a fair? 

 

Jiya tried in vain, to suppress a grin.  Rufus was far more successful in looking heartily ashamed of himself.  “You’re right, Conner.” He glanced up at his mentor with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. “So…shall I put you down for making out in their skivvies?” 

 

Checking the connections of the computer systems and the wired components, Mason did not even look at Rufus as he quietly said, “There’s a twenty in my coat pocket.”   Rufus laughed as he wrote down Conner’s wager. “I stand by what I said before, though. We shouldn’t gawk at them when they get back, we’re all adults here, we should try to act like it every once in a while.” 

 

“Speaking of which” Rufus checked his watch, “it’s about time to pick up those two love birds. How’s the charge looking, Mason?” 

 

“We’re at 95% - plenty of charge for making one complete trip.  When you get back, I want to recalibrate the system and see if we can work out the kinks in that timeline matrix.  If we can make _that_ breakthrough…well, the implications are limitless.  We would theoretically be able to return to any point in time where we already exist without the potentially fatal side effects Anthony suffered.  Of course, we’ve got to find someone to test it on.”

 

“We could always send Flynn.” Rufus muttered. 

 

“I heard that” Garcia Flynn answered, sidling into the hangar bay.  “Why don’t _you_ volunteer, Rufus?  Anthony was your mentor, was he not?  I’m surprised you don’t want to follow in his footsteps, successfully accomplish what he couldn’t”

 

“Maybe he could’ve of -  if, you know, _you_ hadn’t killed him.  Anyway, I saw first-hand what that trip did to him – not a fan” Rufus added as he clambered into the LifeBoat hatch.  Jiya clambered in behind him.  “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked her as he held out his arm to block her from getting into the hatch.    

 

“Oh come ON, Rufus!” she replied.  “You know I want to be there to see Lucy and Wyatt fresh off their hot date.” 

 

Rufus looked over to Mason who shrugged his shoulders, “Who am I to deny her such a treat?”

 

“Mason, you JUST said you didn’t want us gawking at Lucy and Wyatt like they were some sideshow at a fair and now you’re suddenly okay with Jiya,” he pointed expressively at his girlfriend, “JIYA going along and giving them the third degree?  Because you realize that’s what she’s going to do, right? Grill them?  Ask them awkward questions?  Make that Lifeboat ride even more uncomfortable than it already is?”

 

Jiya punched Rufus in the arm as Mason waved his hand dismissively at them, smiling.  “You all head straight back.  No midnight romps through the city, no double date to a piano bar.  You come straight home.”

 

“Thanks, Mason” called Jiya as she clapped her hands excitedly. 

 

 

                                                ______________________________

 

 

 

Wyatt blinked his eyes opened as he grimaced from the pain shooting down his shoulders and into his arms. He was vaguely aware that he was sitting in a chair and only slightly more aware that he was in a basement. The damp, musty and stale air was slowly awakening his senses to the fact that his arms and feet were tied. As his vision came into focus and he looked down at his ruined suit, the events of the evening came rushing back as he suddenly fought against his restraints. 

 

“Glad to see you’re finally awake.”  Jessica came strolling lazily into view giving him a pitying look, her face sporting a dark bruise under her left eye. 

 

Wyatt couldn’t help but grin seeing the result of Lucy’s handiwork on her visage.  It didn’t invoke in him the horror that Lucy’s battered face had, on the contrary, he thought in this case, especially, it had been well-deserved.  He would never have done it himself, but he was more than happy to be in love with the woman who did. 

 

Jessica gave Wyatt a small smile in return, “Happy to see me?”

 

If looks could kill, Wyatt would’ve murdered Jessica right then and there with the glare he sent her way. “Where is she?” he asked.  

 

Jessica leaned her face close to his.  “What? No kiss for me?  I have to say, Wyatt, it hurts that you moved on so quickly.  I can’t say I’m surprised by you – but I thought, at least, _she_ would have more class than to jump right into the arms of my husband the second I left the bunker.” 

 

“Ex-husband” – Wyatt corrected her.  “You think I wasted any time on signing those divorce papers?”  Her face reddened as she stepped away from him.  “Hell, were we really even married?”

 

Jessica’s face split into a wide, devilish grin.  “Now, Wyatt. What do you take me for?”

 

“A liar.”

 

She threw her head back and laughed, the action made Wyatt’s stomach turn with revulsion.  “Fair enough.”  She approached him once more and ruffled his hair.  “You had your secrets, I had mine.  Kept life interesting.” 

 

“Where is Lucy?” Wyatt repeated again with more force.

 

Jessica huffed.  “I really don’t know what you see in her.” Jessica walked around to Wyatt’s back and began massaging his shoulders.  “A professor?  A bookworm? Bit of a nerd, don’t you think?” He shrugged away from her kneading hands.  Jessica gave a resigned sigh. “She’s not your type at all.”

 

“I’m sorry, but I don’t give a damn about you think my type is” he spat.  “Now, where the hell is she?”

 

Jessica stalked over to the other side of the room, obviously upset.  “God, Wyatt.  She’s _fine_ , okay?”  Jessica wasn’t looking at him, but was instead pulling things out of her handbag and slamming them down on a rickety table.  “Lucy is in high-demand these days.”  She opened the small bottle of pills she found in her bag and popped one into her mouth.  “Headache.” She explained as Wyatt gave her a questioning glance.

 

He smirked, happy to see that their conversation was rattling her.  He, however, was feeling more at ease.  Lucy was in high-demand, which meant that she was relatively safe – even if she was in Rittenhouse hands.  “And so you assholes are going to use her as leverage, is that it?”

 

Jessica pursed her lips together and nodded, “Pretty much.” 

 

“I guess that means you’re using me as leverage against her” sighed Wyatt. 

 

Jessica looked amused. “Think pretty much of yourself, don’t ya?”  She winked at him as he glared at her, but she wasn’t phased.  Jessica leaned close to Wyatt’s face again. “It doesn’t have to be that way, Wyatt” she whispered, tracing her finger over his jaw as he jerked his head away from her.  “Rittenhouse could use someone like you.  It’d be a hell of a lot more rewarding than living in a rusty old bunker like a sewer rat, that’s for damn sure.”             

 

 Wyatt scoffed.  “I don’t know, you seemed to take to it right away.”

 

A smile played across her lips.  “Well, I had the extra benefit of sleeping with you.”  He turned his head away from her, scowling.  Her face fell slightly.  “Really Wyatt, you and I could be a great team – just like old times.”  

 

Wyatt refused to even acknowledge her last comment.  As far as he was concerned that was another lifetime ago and one he desperately wanted to forget.  He had no plans to walk down memory lane with her.  He breathed out a sigh and nodded to the room around them.  “So you traded a rusty old bunker, for a dank old basement? I’d say you got the short end of the stick with that one.   

 

“We’re not exactly on the best terms with leadership right now, but with Lucy in our back pocket, that’s all gonna change.  No more bloodline nonsense keeping us down.  If Lucy even knew half of the power she has at her fingertips, she would leave your ass and that bunker in a minute.”

 

Wyatt laughed. “Lucy’s not like you.  She sees this shit for what it is – a crazy ass cult.”

 

Jessica gave him a wry smile, “We’ll see about that.  We can be pretty persuasive.”      

 

 

                                                ________________________

 

Lucy was half carried, half dragged into a small room in what appeared to be a burned out apartment building.  The remnants of a fire evident along all the walls as well as the smoky stench of stale air. One of the toughs holding her arms threw her down on a dusty old couch as Emma strolled lazily into the room behind them. 

 

“Easy, Jensen” Emma said. “She is a princess, after all.”

 

“What the hell do you want with me, Emma?”  “Why don’t you just kill me and get it over with?”  Lucy gritted out.  She was thinking of Wyatt and praying that he was still alive. 

Emma shook her head. “As much as I’d love to do that, you’re pretty popular these days, princess.  I would signing my own death warrant if I so much as put one hair out of place on your perfect head.”

 

Lucy looked down at her torn dress and motioned to her dishelevled hair. “Looks like you’re going to have a lot of explaining to do, then.”

 

Emma stood over Lucy, smirking, “You thought you were being so clever, with all of your running around New York.  Smart move, I must say – coming here.  We almost didn’t find you.”  She paced the room, kicking up clouds of dust and soot as she did so. 

 

“How did you find us?” asked Lucy softly. 

 

Emma laughed.  “Jensen and I finally spied you at the baseball game. Your little group of ragtags stick out like a sore thumb.” 

 

So Wyatt _had_ seen Emma.  All of their running around and switching cabs, had done no good.    

 

“So why didn’t you grab me sooner?  If you knew where I was, then why did you wait?”

 

“And miss the perfect opportunity of ruining your date?” Emma walked over to Lucy and clasped her hand roughly on Lucy’s jaw jerking her face towards her.  “Jessica, was plenty pissed about that.  Looks like you’ve made yourself another enemy.”

 

Lucy rolled her eyes and yanked her chin out of Emma’s grasp.  “I didn’t realize we were ever friends.” 

 

Emma cocked an eyebrow at her, “You’d do well not to make any more enemies than you need to, princess. You may be valuable, but that bloodline shit doesn’t mean much to me – you of all people should know that.”       

 

“Then why am I still alive, Emma?”  Lucy asked with more than a hint of annoyance in her voice.  “You’ve killed my mother, you killed Keynes. Why not just finish the job?

 

“Because as much as I hate to admit it, I need your help.” Emma spat out.  “I may have the Mothership, but Rittenhouse has the money and the connections.  There’s only so much I can do without their full support.”  she said bitterly.  “They may be short-sighted, aristocratic fools, but they’ve got friends in all the right places, and I just pissed them all off -  so if I even want a chance at taking over the reins, I need to bring you in…as a show of good faith.  Without you, I’m as good as dead, but I also have a time machine, and they don’t.”   

 

“So I’m a bargaining chip?” 

 

“You’ve got that right, princess.  Not only are you the last direct descendant of David Rittenhouse, himself, you’re also Carol Preston’s handpicked successor for the recently vacated historian position.” Emma winked at her. 

 

“You mean, the position my mother held until you killed her.” Lucy said contemptuously.

    

“Your mother went to war with _me_ , dearie.  _You_ were the one that was supposed to die.  She interfered on your behalf one too many times and _thankfully_ there were some in leadership who agreed with me on that.  Killing Keynes, though….well, that was where _I_ crossed the line.”

 

A familiar rage burned inside of Lucy, a rage she had not felt since that night in 1888 when she almost put a bullet in Emma Whitmore’s head.  Lucy’s relationship with her mother might have been more than a little strained, but she was still her mother – and it was Emma who murdered her. Emma, who now stood before her, talking about killing her mother as if she had merely swatted away an annoying fly. There was no remorse, no sadness, no sorrow for what she had done.  Her only regret was that now, apparently, she had to keep Lucy alive to make up for murdering both Carol _and_ Keynes.        

 

Emma was watching Lucy’s face with mild interest.  She could see the anger in her eyes, the redness in her cheeks, the furrow of her brow. She knew Lucy was enraged – and yet she did not care.  In fact, she wanted to twist the knife just a little bit more.  “Oh come on, Lucy – I did you a favor.  You don’t give a damn about your Rittenhouse blood, so don’t act like it means anything to you now that your family is dead.”

 

Lucy lunged off of the couch towards Emma, ready to kill her with her bare hands if she had to.  She was caught around the waist by the tough named Jensen who held her back as she reached for Emma sobbing. “She was my mother!” Lucy gasped as she fought to break free of Jensen’s hold, finally relenting as she drooped in his arms, crying. 

 

Emma just stared at Lucy, expressionless.  “Yes, and now Rittenhouse is without its chief historian.  You know – I could turn you over to them and they could mold you and manipulate you into the perfect little princess that they always dreamed you would be.”  Emma walked over to Lucy and whispered,  “Or, you could throw your support behind me and help me reorganize this boys club.  I’ve got the Mothership, but I’m not well-versed on the nuances of history – that was never my strong suit.  You, on the other hand, know historical pressure points like the back of your hand – your mother made sure of that.”     

 

 ‘So that’s it, huh?  You need me to be your historian so I can, what?   Help you play God?  Change your future?” Lucy snarled as she fought the hold Jensen still had on her waist. 

 

“I want to promote change, push for upward mobility, so that someone who works hard and proves themselves can have as much standing or more than someone who just happened to be born into all of this – ya know, someone like you.”  Emma said with a deadly calm. 

 

Lucy glared at her. “How very progressive of you.  But it may have escaped your notice that I don’t care about my standing in Rittenhouse.  I never asked for this.  I don’t want it and even if I did, why the hell would I help you after everything you’ve done to me?”

 

A smile slowly spread across Emma’s face and Lucy immediately understood why she was smiling. As realization dawned across Lucy’s face, she dropped her head and wept bitterly.  Emma’s voice could not contain its glee.  “That’s right, princess.  You help me or I kill him.”   

 

                                                            ______________________

 

 

The LifeBoat materialized in the same place it had been just hours before, except there was no Lucy or Wyatt waiting for them.    

 

“Must have been a super hot date.” Jiya said with a grin, but Rufus looked worried.  For all of his joking back at the hangar, Rufus knew his friends better than that.  He had been on enough missions with the two of them to know that no matter what was happening, their duty to the operation and to each other, as a team, came first. Neither of them would fail to show up at the appointed rendezvous time if they could help it.    

 

“No, Wyatt would be here.” Rufus jumped out of the Lifeboat and began pacing nervously in front of it.   “He was being Mr. Responsible when he was going over the schedule with me. He may be head over heels for Lucy, but the dude is all about her safety.  He wouldn’t leave her here any longer than necessary.  He wouldn’t risk missing their ride back”

 

“I don’t know” said Jiya with a smile.  “They may have just decided that life in the past, away from all their troubles, is just too good.  I mean, could you blame them?  Why would you want to come back to a time when you can’t even leave a protected base without fearing for your life?”  Rufus was nervously biting his thumb.  “Rufus – I’m sure they’re fine.  Maybe there was traffic, or maybe they couldn’t get a cab.” Jiya suggested. 

 

But after an hour, even Jiya was starting to get nervous.  Romantic dreams and visions aside, this was totally unlike both Lucy and Wyatt and as much as Jiya was loathe to admit it, Rufus was right – something _had_ to be wrong.

 

The night was still and quiet, almost peaceful, as a light wind blew through the trees.  But the mounting dread in Rufus’s chest would not let him find any calm in their current situation.  Panic absolutely washed over him when the still night air was broken by the sound of a buzzing alarm.  “Rufus!” Jiya almost screamed at him from the hatch, “the Mothership has jumped!”  

 

Rufus scrambled into the LifeBoat next to Jiya.  “Shit! You don’t think –“ 

 

Jiya looked at Rufus, her eyes wide in alarm.

 

_Shit._

_Shit._

_Shit._

_Shit._

 

The Mothership was on her way back to the present, with or without their friends…possibly with…most likely with…okay…they were 99% sure that Lucy and Wyatt were definitely nabbed by Emma and her band of time traveling goons. 

 

“Rufus, what are we going to do?”  Jiya was almost frantic now.  What had started as an exciting night full of hope and possibilities for her dearest friends, had now turned into a desperate mission to try to save their lives. 

 

Surprisingly Rufus was maintaining a sense of measured calm.  He had been in this sort of position before, after Flynn had kidnapped Lucy.  He just needed to keep his head.  “Okay” he breathed “we just need to find Wyatt and Lucy – no big deal.  We can do that, right?  I mean, we can’t track the Mothership’s exact location, but we’ve got it narrowed down to fifty miles…San Francisco isn’t _that_ big –and when we find them, we’ve still got Flynn, he’s not Wyatt, but he’s pretty bad ass too…” The overwhelming reality and impossibility of their situation started to slowly settle into Rufus’ mind as he sank down to his knees. 

 

Jiya pulled Rufus into a hug as a feeling of helplessness threatened to consume both of them. “Agent Christopher will put a team on it, Rufus.  We won’t be alone.  They can do a sweep of the city, check surveillance videos, try to catch a glim-“Jiya stopped short and gasped. 

 

“What?  What is it Jiya?” 

 

“I think I know of a way that we can find them.”


	7. Chapter 7

 

Wyatt was alone in a darkened upstairs room.  A broken window brought in the sounds from the busy street below as he worked tirelessly to loosen the bands around his wrists.  His shoulders screamed in pain and his neck was tense, but he knew his only chance of getting Lucy back was to somehow get free.

 

Jessica and her goons had dragged him from the basement to the upper floors as they prepared to leave on the Mothership.  Wyatt had managed to catch one fleeting glimpse of Lucy as she was being shuffled out of the burned out townhouse.  She had screamed out for him and he was desperate to go to her, but he was being roughly shoved up the stairs, bound and restrained so that it was all he could do to look her way and acknowledge to her that he was alive and relatively unhurt. 

 

Though he had no clock, he was sure that had been several hours ago.  It seemed to be well past midnight.  The outside traffic sounds had died down somewhat and the Rittenhouse goon left standing watch over him was snoring just outside the door.  He didn’t want to think about what was happening to Lucy in the present, but leaving him basically stranded in 1945 was a smart move on Emma’s part, he had to admit.  It kept Wyatt neutralized and absolutely dependent on their coming back for him.  He would wait, he had no choice, but if he could get out of his bonds, he could take out the jackass left behind, arm himself with his gun and have a fighting chance when they did come for him.  He was not about to be the reason Lucy sold her soul to Rittenhouse. 

 

“Dammit” Wyatt whispered as the ropes dug and burned into his wrists.  He could feel blood droplets oozing their way into his palms as he twisted and maneuvered his hands to wriggle his way out of the cords.  He had just managed to create a small amount of breathing room around his right wrist, when he heard footfalls on the stairs. 

 

_Shit._

 

They were already back. Wyatt struggled frantically now, sweat forming on his brow as he bit back the pain shooting through his arms and hands.  A loud crash, a groan and thud made him freeze and look sharply at the door in front of him. 

 

_Wyatt?_

“Rufus?!”

 

The door creaked open, and there in the dim light from the street lamps outside, Wyatt could see the outline of Rufus Carlin armed with what looked like a crowbar.  “Man, am I glad to see you.  How the hell did you find me?”

 

Rufus ushered Jiya into the room, “We’ve got our own personal surveillance system – did I mention that my girlfriend is awesome?”

 

Jiya ran to Wyatt and began untying the knots that had him bound to the chair.  “Sorry it took me so long, I’ve never used my visions to locate someone before, particularly in the same time.  I could see you, but I couldn’t see where you were for the longest time, I just kept seeing the room.  I wasn’t even sure if you were still in 1945 until I saw a cab drive by this place.  And then of course, we had to find it.”

 

Wyatt let out a sigh of relief as his stiff arms were released from the bonds.  Pain still emanated from his neck all the way to his wrists, but he didn’t have time to dwell on his discomfort, they needed to move. “What about that dick in the hall?”

 

“He woke up when we were coming up the stairs, Jiya crashed him into the wall and I hit him with the crowbar and knocked him out.  I wasn’t sure what we’d find when we got here.  We saw that the Mothership jumped – how’s Lucy?”

 

“Emma’s got her.  She and Jessica took off with her a few hours ago.” Rufus and Jiya exchanged nervous glances.  “They need her - so I think she’ll be okay, but I don’t want her with those bastards any longer than she already has been.”

 

“Then let’s get the hell out of here.” quipped Jiya.  She was half-way down the stairs when Wyatt heaved the Rittenhouse goon over his shoulder. “What are you doing Wyatt?”

 

“This sonofabitch is coming with us.  He’s our best chance at finding Lucy – and I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t love to pound his damn face until he talks.”

 

Rufus and Jiya raised their eyebrows and watched as Wyatt carried their hostage down the stairs. “Well, we can add kidnapping to our repertoire now.” Rufus retorted, nodding his head at Wyatt.  “Glad we can mix things up every once in a while.” 

 

                                                ________________________

 

When the LifeBoat had materialized back in the present, Rufus and Jiya were met with the combined wrath of Conner Mason and Agent Christopher.  Mason, who had only just gotten back from saving Rufus from his deadly fate, was beyond anxious as the hours ticked by.  Rufus and Jiya emerged from the Lifeboat to a tirade from Conner Mason, but as Agent Christopher saw Wyatt -  bruised, bloodied and pulling someone who was not Lucy out of the LifeBoat hatch behind him, she touched Conner on the arm.  “What the hell happened, Wyatt?  Where is Lucy?”

 

Wyatt hung his head, fighting back the tears that were forming in his eyes.  “They got her.  Emma. Jessica.  They jumped us a few hours ago.  Took off with her in the Mothership” 

 

Garcia Flynn threw his hands up in the air and rolled his eyes in frustration. 

 

“Well, who the hell is this?” – she pointed to the man now slung over Wyatt’s shoulder.

 

“This, is one of Emma’s thugs – I figured he might be able to tell us where they took her. I can’t say that I don’t look forward to convincing him to talk.”

 

“Well, I’m glad you managed to bring back another Rittenhouse agent to our safe space, Wyatt.” growled Flynn. 

 

Garcia Flynn was angry. He was furious at Wyatt for keeping Lucy in 1945 when it was she who was the most in danger.  Emma had definitely taken advantage of Wyatt’s selfishness, he thought and if anything happened to her, Wyatt would be the one to blame.   Everyone in the hangar waited with bated breath as Flynn and Wyatt stood inches apart, staring daggers at each other.  Wyatt wanted nothing more than to punch Garcia Flynn in his smug mouth, but instead, he heaved a deep sigh and closed his eyes. “Flynn, you can stand there and be an asshole or you can help me get intel out _this_ asshole.  Either way, the longer we wait, the longer Lucy is with Emma and Jessica and from what I understand, they’re going to use her to gain control of Rittenhouse. I don’t know about you, but I’m not particularly crazy about the idea of either one of them holding the reins…and selling out Lucy to do it? Hell no.”

 

If Wyatt was expecting Flynn to make another snide comment he was sorely mistaken.  Flynn bit his lip, nodded and gave Wyatt a look of resignation.  “Alright, Wyatt.  Let’s get this over with.”

 

They had moved the still unconscious Rittenhouse goon to a large storage room in the back of the hangar. Flynn and Wyatt stood around the man as he lay on the ground, stirring.  He groaned as he came to and then began to quickly whip his head from side to side as he attempted to ascertain the totality of his predicament. “What th-“

 

“Rise and shine, dickhead.” Wyatt barked, his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned over to look into the face of his one-time captor. 

 

The Rittenhouse agent glared back at him.  “Go to hell.”

 

Flynn picked up the bound man from off the floor and slammed him into the wall.  “You’ll get there first if you don’t give us the information we’re looking for.”  He let the man drop down with a crash and there was a sickening crunch and a scream, sounding suspiciously like his arm had just broken. 

 

As he lay writhing in pain, still bound on the floor, Agent Christopher entered the room and gasped. It was the first time she had seen their unintended guest clearly since Wyatt had brought him off of the Lifeboat. She crouched down beside him and grabbed his face.  “Jensen?”

 

“Ma’am” he returned with a grimace 

 

Agent Christopher pulled out her gun.  “No wonder we had no advance warning of that raid on the bunker, it was an inside job.” 

 

Flynn and Wyatt exchanged quizzical looks, their combined voices echoed their confusion. “What?” 

 

“Jensen here was part of the team that was assigned to protect the bunker.  Thompson was our lead and he and some fine men were killed, no doubt by this traitorous sonofabitch.   Jensen, here survived and gave me report, claiming that he was knocked out and had somehow survived the onslaught without so much as a damn scratch.” 

 

“Who the hell are you?” asked Wyatt dangerously as he stepped gingerly on Jensen’s wounded arm. 

 

A scream of pain and some more writhing followed by a myriad of curses rang through the storage room. Flynn made to pick him up again when Jensen relented, whimpering in pain. “I’m Rittenhouse security.” He spat out angrily.  “I was tasked with watching over Lucy Preston 17 years ago when she started college.” 

 

“What the hell are you talking about?  Lucy has never had a security detail.” Wyatt spat out.

 

“Not one that she ever knew about.  You think Rittenhouse was just going to let her run off to college without someone looking out for her?  I kept my distance.  She never suspected - ever.  Not even when I pulled her out of that car.”

 

Wyatt’s eyes darted up, his face became stony and he couldn’t help but shudder as he remembered that conversation with Lucy in 1944.  He could hear her voice resonate within his mind as he recalled the panic etched all over her face as she recounted her brush with death and her subsequent battle with claustrophobia. 

 

_The water was rushing in so fast.  I thought to myself, ‘This is it’.   Someone just happened by and pulled me out._

Wyatt breathed out a curse. He got dangerously close to Jensen’s face.  “If you’re supposed to protect her then why the hell have you been trying to kill her?”

 

Jensen laughed until Wyatt made to hit his broken arm, “No, no..please.” He breathed.  “My assignment to protect her was resigned two years ago when she began to work actively against Rittenhouse.  Instead, I was assigned to her mother.  When the details of that mission in 1888 came forth, I was told to position myself over the bunker once it was discovered that Emma Whitmore had terminated Carol Preston and Nicholas Keynes.  With Jessica Logan in possession of the knowledge of the bunker’s location, we knew it was just a matter of time before Emma attempted to infiltrate.  Protecting Lucy Preston became a matter of necessity.” 

Agent Christopher tilted her head towards Jensen, “So if you were working for Rittenhouse leadership to protect Lucy Preston, then why were you with Emma Whitmore?”

 

Jensen sighed in annoyance. “I told you, my role in Rittenhouse is security.  Emma doesn’t know in what capacity I serve in that role.  She only knew that I had an opportunity to be picked for the bunker security team, and from there, it was easy to gain her trust. I promised her access to the bunker in return for a position on her team.  Acting as a double agent within Rittenhouse to keep tabs on Emma Whitmore, especially after she murdered our superiors on a time jump became as much of a priority as protecting Lucy Preston.  In this sense, I fulfilled both roles.  

 

“Except you lied to me and your peers at Homeland Security – you were a damn triple agent.  Tell me why I shouldn’t just throw you in a black site right now.” Agent Christopher was fuming.

 

“Ma’am, I swear – Rittenhouse’s objective here is not to harm Lucy Preston or any of you.  We are trying to neutralize the very real threat of Emma Whitmore.”

 

Flynn snarled, “She’s a threat because she wants to kill all of you bastards and replace you with grunts like her, is that it?”  He was pacing now, his hands in his hair.  “Maybe Emma has got the right idea – rain down destruction on you assholes who think you can run everyone’s lives.”

 

Wyatt crossed his arms over his chest. “Do you really think Emma would be any better, Flynn?  They’re two sides of the same damn coin.  Emma’s ambitious – she wants the glory – but her objectives are the same.  World domination, manipulation, lies.” 

 

“No, that’s not all we –“

      

Wyatt cut him off looking at him doubtfully.  “Why the hell should we believe anything you say?  I saw you drag Lucy off, didn’t seem like you were protecting her then. Didn’t seem like you weren’t trying to harm us as you chased us down and dragged us through the streets.”

 

“You think Emma would hesitate to kill me if she suspected that I weren’t absolutely on her team? Look, I know you have no reason to trust me, but I want to help you.  When Emma ordered me to stay behind, it made me uneasy.”

 

“Why?” Wyatt said with a little too much force, his arms still crossed over his chest. 

 

“Because despite what Emma has said about needing Ms. Preston safe and alive, once she gets what she wants, she won’t hesitate to kill her…and she’s already planning on it. I overheard the conversation she had with Jessica right before they left in the Mothership – which, is why I think, she left me behind.  I wasn’t supposed to hear.” 

 

“Hear what?” Agent Christopher breathed out. 

“That whenever she gets the support she needs from the leadership, they will have to make Lucy’s death will look like a suicide.”  Jensen looked at Wyatt.  “The plan was to kill you and then overdose her on anti-psychotic meds.”

 

Wyatt breathed out a curse. “Let me guess,” he said softly.  “Risperidone”

 

“How did you –“

 

Wyatt didn’t answer. He just shook his head in disbelief. Jessica had blurted out the name of that anti-psychotic on that mission to find Kennedy.  Looking back in hindsight, that should have been a red flag, but he had overlooked it.  Now, if what Jensen said were true, she was going to use those drugs on Lucy. _I’m not their hostage anymore – they can’t use me as leverage against her._   Wyatt breathed out a sigh of relief.  But then a sudden dread filled him.

_Lucy wouldn't have any way of knowing whether I'm alive or dead - as far as she knows, I'm still in 1945._  

 

Agent Christopher exchanged glances with both Garcia Flynn and Wyatt.  Flynn looked somewhat skeptical of Jensen’s information. Wyatt, for all that he had just gone through with the duplicity of his Rittenhouse spy of an ex-wife, felt like he should be doubtful of the weight of Jensen’s claims.  Rittenhouse was not to be trusted, but what could they do?  Lucy’s life was hanging in the balance and this was their only lead.  Agent Christopher knelt in front of their captive and untied his bonds, helping him sit up as she did so.  He groaned as he sat upright, nursing his broken arm.  “Let’s say we believe you, Jensen – how can you possibly help us when Emma thinks you are in 1945?”

 

“I can tell you where Emma is planning on taking Lucy.” 

                                   

                                                                        ______            ________________

 

Lucy stood outside of her childhood home in the cool mist of the morning.  It had been two days since she was taken from 1945, taken from Wyatt. The weight of the keys in her hands felt oddly heavy as she stood there bracing herself for the onslaught of emotions that were sure to come when she entered her mother’s house.  Two years ago, an agent knocked on her door and sent her life on a completely different road than she could have ever imagined.  Two years ago, she looked behind her as she walked down this very path and caught one last glance at her sister, who was now erased from history.  Two years ago her mother had been dying of cancer and Rittenhouse hadn’t even been a blip on her radar.  “What are you waiting for?”  Emma’s snide voice called out from behind her. 

 

Lucy took a shuddering breath and stepped slowly up onto the front stoop.  Her hands shook as she fit the key in the lock and turned the doorknob. As she stepped into the foyer, she was struck with a million memories.  Most of them happy, but now all, tinged with a sadness that was indescribable.  Everything was tainted now.  Rittenhouse had seen to that.  Lucy touched the banister of the staircase, her foot on the first step and suddenly she remembered the night Wyatt had come to her, telling her of his plan to steal the Lifeboat to save Jessica.  How strange it was that Jessica was now standing in almost the exact same place he was when he had said that getting her back would have all been worth it. After the last few months of pain and grief, she was fairly certain that Wyatt would not feel that way now.  “Nice digs.” Jessica said with a smirk as she held a large box in her arms. 

 

Lucy didn’t answer. She was far more concerned with the gun that was now pressed to her back guiding her up the stairs.  Lucy entered her mother’s room and walked over to the desk, Emma and Jessica flanking her.  Lucy sought the key to open the locked file drawer.  “What exactly are we looking for?” she asked. 

 

“Your family records.” Emma said shortly.  “I want to be damn sure you’re actually the last of your kind, before I commit to anything.  I’d hate to miss the opportunity of killing you only to find out there’s some David Rittenhouse descendant cousin waiting in the wings.” 

 

Lucy pulled out a large binder from the drawer marked “Keynes.”  This was the line that sent her all the way back to David Rittenhouse, himself.  She shuddered at the thought and handed the binder over to Emma.  There were two more folders in the drawer, one marked Preston and another which simply said “Lucy.”  Curious, Lucy pulled out the Preston folder.  Her grandfather was also Rittenhouse, apparently.  She flipped through pages of genealogical history and found that the Preston’s and the Cahill’s were both distant cousins of David Rittenhouse – not direct descendants, but close enough.  She had figured as much, given the whole blood line mania.  She imagined all of the blood line families were related in some way or another. 

 

She sighed as she picked up the folder marked with her name.  She opened it with distinct curiosity, she had no idea this binder even existed.  Yet here it was, locked away in her mother’s drawer.  She slowly flipped it open to find a record of her birth followed by pages and pages of notices recording every achievement she had made, every award she had won, and every honor that was bestowed.  Lucy soon caught herself crying as she drifted her hands over photos and notes handwritten by her mother. 

 

“What are you sniveling about?” scoffed Emma as she pored over the Keynes’ family history ledger. Jessica smirked in Emma’s direction. The two of them sitting so casually on her mother’s bed after their involvement in her death, made Lucy blind with rage.  Tears fell down her cheeks as she remembered her mother lying in bed, sick with cancer. Amy sitting in the chair by her bedside, which now sat, poignantly empty.  Lucy suddenly felt very alone.   This house with so many memories of Amy and her mother before Rittenhouse and she was the only one in the world who remembered them the way they used to be.        

 

Lucy sniffed as she flipped to the last few pages of her personal album when she found herself looking at her own family tree.  As a child, she had always had Henry Wallace and Amy on ones that she had made, but of course, in this timeline, they had never been a part of her life.  Her mother had organized this personal genealogy for her daughter and it struck Lucy for the first time, really, that Benjamin Cahill was actually her father.  Seeing his name listed there unsettled her in a way that she hadn’t expected.  After all, she knew that he was her father.  She had talked with him, gone to his home.  But somehow, seeing it listed in black and white just above her name made it more official, than it had ever been.

    

Next to Benjamin Cahill’s name there were two other women listed and under them, children.  Lucy’s eyes widened.  These would be her siblings, wouldn’t they?  She knew that Ben Cahill had a son, she had met him that day at the door when she first approached him about being her father. Ethan, she saw, was his name.  _After his grandfather_ she thought fondly. Then there was Carol Preston, who had Lucy.  But there was one other, a Maria Thompkins and she had also had a son born in 1975, but no other information was given.  The entry bothered Lucy and she wasn’t sure why.  Maria Thompkins sounded so familiar but she couldn’t place it. 

 

Emma was watching Lucy and must have seen her furrowed brow deep in concentration.  “What’s the matter princess?” 

 

“Nothing”, Lucy stated quickly.  She made to close the book, but Emma snatched it out of her hands.  

 

“Oh, look – Daddy Cahill. You know, he recruited me personally?” Lucy feigned interest, she really didn’t care about Emma’s rise to Rittenhouse glory.  “That was his job in Rittenhouse.  He was good at making connections and placing people with the right talents in the right areas.” 

 

Lucy nodded and rolled her eyes. 

 

“You know he told me that Rittenhouse ordered your conception?  Two prominent pure-blood families producing an heir – talk about romance – you were bred like a pedigree bitch.”  Emma and Jessica both laughed as Lucy flushed in anger.  “But looks like poor Ben had to break off his love affair with Maria Thompkins to do it.  Tsk tsk.  Do you know, she was the first female recruit for Rittenhouse?” 

 

Lucy’s curiosity really was piqued this time.  “Who was she?” 

 

Emma looked up at the ceiling, “I can’t really remember the details.  She was brilliant, though – ahead of her time.  An engineer.  In fact, I believe Conner Mason used some of her designs for the LifeBoat.  I remember seeing her name credited on some of the concept plans.”

 

Lucy looked around the room, her brain working hard to remember why that name meant something to her. She knew it and it was driving her crazy.  Her eyes fell on the large box carried into the house by Jessica.  She got up from her mother’s chair, both Jessica and Emma kept an eye on her as she walked slowly to the dressing table where it lay partially open.  This box contained her mother’s effects from Rittenhouse Headquarters – the last things she had in her possession before Emma murdered her.  Lucy lifted the lid the rest of the way from the box and gave a little sob as she was met with a large photo of her and her mother in happier times.  She wondered as she stared at the picture whether that version of herself knew about Rittenhouse – her mother had said she had changed so much when she had gotten back from the Hindenburg – maybe her other self was fundamentally different. Maybe that’s why her mother couldn’t understand her resistance to the idea of all of this.  Lucy removed a few books, some jewelry, a sweater, and then her eyes fell on something that immediately filled her with dread. 

 

The journal. 

 

She picked it up slowly and opened the black leather bound book stamped in gold with an LP.  She had written down her memories of those first few missions during the six weeks that she was a prisoner at Rittenhouse. Believing she had lost Rufus and Wyatt, she had absent-mindedly recorded her memories of those missions and what they meant to her.  Her relationship with her team.  It was the only way she could cope with the thought of them being dead – they could live on in her journal. 

 

She hugged it tight to her chest as she realized that now, once again, she found herself separated from them. She thought of Wyatt stuck in 1945 and a pang of despair hit her so hard, she nearly crumpled to the floor in agony.  She quickly flipped through their different missions until she reached her last entry, staring at a book that was now only one third completed.  She wondered suddenly what had become of the finished journal that Garcia Flynn had given her before he was arrested, the journal that had started this whole mess and spurred him to steal the time machine in the first place. 

 

Poor Flynn. Rittenhouse had killed his wife and daughter and all he wanted was to get them back.  He had terrorized them so much during that first year, trying to convince them of Rittenhouse’s existence, but they didn’t listen.  Not until Rittenhouse had taken over, not until they tried to get Lucy and Rufus to jump to Houston in 1962 to murder –

 

“Oh my God” Lucy cried as the journal dropped from her hands. 

 

Jessica and Emma shot looks over in Lucy’s direction.  “What now?” they both asked with pointed annoyance. 

 

But Lucy didn’t answer them. She didn’t even hear them.  She had collapsed onto a chair, her head in her hands, breathing heavily. 

 

She knew who Maria Thompkins was now. 

 

Wyatt had met her in 1969. 

 

She was Garcia Flynn’s mother. 

 

Garcia Flynn was Benjamin Cahill’s son.

 

And that meant he was Lucy’s half-brother.    


	8. Chapter 8

Emma walked deliberately towards the ante-room of an abandoned warehouse in Oakland, fresh off of her latest jump to 1945.  Jessica was cleaning her gun, her eyes focused in concentration, her tongue sticking out of the corner of her mouth as she swabbed the interior barrel.  She didn’t even look up as Emma approached. “Where is he?”

 

“Gone” said Emma with a thoughtful purse of her lips.

 

Jessica jerked her face up to look into Emma’s, her eyes wide with alarm.  “So, you think they brought him back when they made that jump a few hours after ours?”

 

She shrugged, “Looks like it.  And Jensen is gone too.”

 

Jessica slammed her gun down on the table with a huff. “Why did we have to leave him there in the first place?”

 

Emma sighed, “Jessica, I told you.  There were two ways this situation could go.  I realize that you wanted to keep Wyatt….for you own reasons,” she rolled her eyes. “but if he’s back with his team and has taken Jensen along, it works out better for us in the long run. 

 

Jessica sighed in resignation and started cleaning her gun again.  “How?”

 

Emma sat down beside her, “If Jensen talks and tells them where she will be, then they’ll come in, guns blazing to save her.  Who’s to say what will happen in the chaos?”

 

Jessica arched her brow, “And if they don’t?”

 

“Then we stick with the original plan.” She nodded towards the manila folder on the table.  “Is this it?”

 

Jessica smiled and nodded, “Yup, revised medical history for Lucy Preston.  It took me weeks to get a handle on Agent Christopher’s signature, it’s not perfect, but I think it’s pretty damn good.”

 

A broad smile spread across Emma’s face.  There was no way that Rittenhouse was going to suspect her and she would be damned before she became beholden to Lucy Preston for anything.  After action reports by “Agent Christopher” indicated that Lucy was suffering from severe depression and paranoia.  Jessica provided the Risperidone from her own personal prescription and her doctor was kind enough to e-mail a copy of her medical records. The e-files were easily manipulated and voila, Lucy Preston is on suicide watch – supported by her “medical records” and “personnel file.”  It was almost too easy.  “Where’s the princess, now?”

 

“Asleep” said Jessica absent-mindedly.  “I gave her a dose this morning in her tea.  She passed out about an hour later.”

 

“Well, maybe give her a half dose before the big event tonight.  We need her awake and we need that medicine in her bloodstream, so it can be verified.  Even if her team doesn’t come in guns blazing, maybe we can count on a jealous Wyatt to make a big enough scene to make the suicide angle even more plausible.”

 

Jessica muttered, “Oh, that’s one thing you can almost always count on.”  Emma, satisfied with that answer, walked away -  but Jessica stayed behind, scowling.  She would never tell Emma, it would show a weakness in her that she didn’t want revealed, but _her_ motivation to see Lucy Preston die had less to do with Rittenhouse and more to do with her hold on one Wyatt Logan.        

 

                                                ________________________

       

Lucy’s gaze wandered around the crowded reception room at Stanford University.  Intermingled with the faces of well-known friends from her past life, were throngs of acquaintances she knew only as friends of her mother’s.  Then there were those she had never seen before, strangers to her, but here anyway, to honor her mother’s memory. 

 

Or maybe their attendance here was two-fold, as was hers.  On the surface, a grieving daughter who had, for all intents and purposes, dropped off the face of the Earth for a year – now back to honor her mother’s memory. The other, more sinister and underlying reason, to be a pawn in a game of chess for a secret organization that she was unwillingly a part of.  How many of these strangers, she wondered, were Rittenhouse?     

 

Emma and Jessica had arranged it all, picking a neutral spot with a mix of people so that no one who might be looking to start trouble could ascertain who might be Rittenhouse and who could just be a family friend.  Lucy had to admit that the plan was brilliant.  The seemingly honorable gesture towards her mother had, apparently, not gone unnoticed by the superiors at Rittenhouse.  Emma had been in deep conversation with some formidable looking men almost since their arrival and Lucy couldn’t help but notice the way they looked at her with a mixture of pity, reverence, fear and awe.  Emma seemed to be looking exceptionally smug, which could only mean she was getting praised for a job well done.   

 

Lucy had been reeling from the revelation that she and Garcia Flynn shared the same father for two days and still, the shock of it all seemed too much.  In fact, the past few days she had found herself dizzy, lethargic and unable to think coherently.  Her thoughts were a mess, but, she had concluded, that might be because of everything she was now dealing with.  Kidnapping, Wyatt, the loss of her mother, Wyatt, the Garcia Flynn revelation, Rittenhouse, Wyatt – she was so worried about him and wondered if he was still trapped in 1945.  She wondered if he had somehow managed to escape and find Rufus.  She wondered if he was even still alive.  

 

She was dressed in a simple black dress, boat necked, ¾ sleeved and hitting just above her knee. Jessica had provided her with a glass of punch which was now empty, but for some reason she still had grasped in her hand – it felt like a lifeline of sorts, something to hold onto, while her world spun out of control around her.   She stood stoically next to a table on which she rested her free hand in an attempt to steady herself on quaking knees.  Countless people had already approached her offering their condolences and reminiscing about their relationship with her mother.  Lucy had merely nodded at them, it was all she could do apart from allowing silent tears to fall from her eyes.   She wasn’t even sure if she smiled or frowned as people shared their reminisces with her.  Except for the rising panic and cold dread in her chest, she felt numb.  There was not one in the crowd she was happy to see, not one person present she felt even remotely connected to, old family friends seemed to belong to another life, another Lucy…and didn’t they?  Not one of them knew who she was.  Not really.  They didn’t know the Lucy who sat by her mother’s bedside as she was dying with cancer, they didn’t know the Lucy who had a sister named Amy, they didn’t know the Lucy who now stood before them, grieving a mother who was not really _her_ mother.  No, Lucy’s mother may have always been a descendant of David Rittenhouse, but in Lucy’s timeline – Henry Wallace and Amy had kept her from completely selling her soul to the society he founded.   She had to believe that, it was the only way she could cope with the idea that this version of her mother’s last regret was that she hadn’t introduced Lucy to Rittenhouse sooner.

 

She could feel dozens of eyes on her, she could hear snippets of whispered conversations. Conversations that revolved around her - her haunted look and changed personality, her sudden disappearance and abrupt reappearance, rumors of a more serious reason for her disappearance and her now, obvious moroseness.  Lucy didn’t care.  She knew that by the end of the night, Rittenhouse would have her in their clutches again and they would either reshape her into some brainwashed sycophant or she would crack up and lose herself entirely.    

 

An older couple approached her and wrapped her in an embrace.  Lucy was at a complete loss as to who they were, but as the woman spoke, Lucy assumed that in another life, she must have known them.  “Oh, Lucy darling, we have been so worried about you. You’ve just not been yourself for so long and now this – oh Lucy, I’m so sorry“ the woman dabbed a tissue at her eyes, tilting her head in pity at her.

 

Lucy gaped at the couple, unsure of what to say.  What do you say to people who seem to know you that you have no memory of?  She decided on basic politeness and prayed that any attempts at further conversation would be discouraged. “Th-Thank you.” she stuttered out.

 

The woman considered her with concerned eyes.  “Lucy, are you doing alright?  You just seem so distant and so –“

 

The man, whom Lucy assumed was her husband, cut her off, “Anne, really – she just lost her mother, of course she’s not doing alright.” He offered Lucy a wan smile.  She couldn’t help but feel like he reminded her of someone, but she put the thought out of her mind as he continued to talk with her, “The stress, no doubt, has been very hard on you.  You need someone to watch over you, someone who cares for you.” His wife gently swatted at his chest in playful reproach, but she gave Lucy a hopeful look.     

 

If Lucy was supposed to catch any meaning in that expression, it was lost on her.  _Someone who cares for you_ was echoing in her head and all she could think of was Wyatt.  She wondered if he was safe - if he was still in 1945 or if they had since moved him to the present.  She felt the tears beginning to form in her eyes as she came back to her senses and realized the couple were still standing there, watching her.   “I-I’m so sorry.”

 

They both looked at her with sad smiles, but almost immediately brightened up as they looked beyond her.  “No need, dear.  We’re just going to leave you two alone.” And they skirted off leaving Lucy utterly confused by their last statement until –

 

“Hello, Beautiful.”

 

She knew that voice. She would wake up in a panic at night sometimes, hearing it. That moment that she relived in her nightmares when she unwittingly walked into her own engagement party realizing once again, how much that first time jump had changed her life.  She spun around and almost fell over from the shock. 

 

_Noah._

_________________

 

It was decided that Conner Mason would stay behind with their hostage as the rest of the team headed to Stanford to try to blend in with the crowd of mourners.  Mason was still working on the problem of revisting timelines and he felt he was getting close.  He didn’t want any distractions.  This, he felt, was the perfect opportunity to get the peace and quiet he needed that would allow him to work unhindered.

 

Jiya donned one of her 1940s dresses, while Wyatt, Flynn and Rufus wore suits from their other missions. Agent Christopher eyed them appraisingly.  “Not bad, I guess you won’t look completely out of place.”

 

“We’re kinda like pros at this now – is Flynn gonna be okay?  I mean, he _is_ a wanted criminal.”

 

Agent Christopher sighed, “Yes, Rufus – he’s going to keep a low profile and stay on the perimeter with me. Any red flags and I cuff him – no one will be any wiser.  That sound alright to you, Flynn?”

 

“You’re the boss, ma’am” he shrugged. 

 

Agent Christopher looked seriously at her team, “It won’t JUST be Rittenhouse in there.  I have to hand it to them with this one, we can’t just raid the place.  We don’t know who to suspect, who is Rittenhouse, who isn’t – the US Government would face all kinds of problems if we crashed a Memorial Service for someone as beloved as Carol Preston with no real proof of intended malice towards Lucy. With her in the midst of them all, who knows what they will do to her if we run in there, guns blazing.  If what Jensen tells us is true, Emma would absolutely use that opportunity to toss her into the fray, putting her life directly at risk.  We need to be invisible.”

 

Wyatt was still a little leery about trusting Jensen’s information.  He was not over Jessica’s betrayal and he was definitely not going to readily trust someone who was admittedly a triple agent.  “What bothers me is why did he give Emma’s goons access to the bunker if he was trying to protect her?  I mean, wasn’t he supposed to be keeping her away from Emma?”

 

Agent Christopher looked seriously at Wyatt, “Look, I don’t like this any more than you do – but like he said, they knew it was just a matter of time before Emma attacked – giving her what she wanted and then placing himself in a position where he could ensure Lucy’s relative safety and find out Emma’s intentions…he was doing his job.”  Wyatt shook his head in disbelief.   Agent Christopher frowned at him, “Wyatt, this is not ideal – I know that, but according to my sources, there _is_ a reception honoring Carol Preston at Stanford tonight, so that intel is, at least, correct. 

 

“But it could be a distraction – a red herring.  They send us on some wild goose chase while Lucy is sent to God knows where.” Wyatt wasn’t even trying to hide the edge of emotion in his voice.

 

Agent Christopher nodded at him in understanding.  She could see the desperation in his eyes, the concern etched in his brow.  She placed a comforting hand on his back. “And if he’s telling the truth, she’ll be there and we **will** bring her home. 

 

 

 

A few hours later, Rufus and Jiya entered the reception hall at staggered intervals.  Rufus immediately spotted Emma and positioned himself behind a pillar, tissue in hand, ready to feign crying if he was approached.  Jiya, made up as she was, looked so different than her usual self that she was able to move throughout the room without garnering so much as a second glance from either Jessica or Emma, both of whom she kept firmly in her sights.  There were hundreds of people with whom she could mingle and blend in with – her youth passed her off as a student wishing to pay her respects without raising a single eyebrow.   

 

Wyatt had skirted around the building to the delivery entrance.  He rushed through maintenance corridors until he found a door that opened up to the back corner of the main reception room.  His eyes scanned the entirety of the facility.  There were so many people and for a moment, the dread that this whole thing was a ruse to throw them off the scent returned, until he finally saw her, standing next to a table talking with an elderly couple.  He breathed out a sigh of relief.  She was there. 

 

But as Wyatt continued to watch her, he noticed immediately that something was not right.  Her eyes looked glazed and her movements seemed slow, but also jerky and involuntary.  _Drugged_.  Horror overcame him as he remembered what Jensen had said about the Risperidone.  He was just assessing the best way to reach her when he saw _him_ approach her from behind.  He saw her eyes widen in surprise and watched with a jolt of jealousy as she spun around to face the man who now had his arms wrapped around her in a fond embrace. 

 

 

That doctor guy.

 

Her fake fiancé

 

Noah…something. 

                  

                        ____________

 

 

_Noah_

 

She sputtered out his name as she pulled away from his embrace.  “Wh-Why are you here?”  She knew the answer to that question.  He had been her “fiancé” for apparently two years and he and her mother were close.

 

Hmm…too close, maybe. She looked at him warily.  Could he possibly be one of _them?_  Would Rittenhouse ever allow her, with all of her ancestry, to marry anyone who wasn’t tied to the organization? Probably not.  She instinctively backed several steps away from him.    

 

Noah’s face fell. “Lucy, I still care about you so much. I have been going nuts this past year or so not knowing where the hell you were or” he cleared his throat, “who you might be with.”  His eyes searched her face for any indication that might betray a hint as to whether or not she carried any regrets over their breakup, he reached out and tenderly caressed her cheek.

 

Lucy closed her eyes and shook her head frantically, “No, no no no….I – I…- you and I,  we – “

 

Noah placed a gentle hand on her arm. “Hey, it’s okay.  I-I just saw you talking with my parents and I just wanted to come over and see you. Talk to you.”  He sighed.  “I miss you, Lucy.” 

 

So that explained the couple she had just spoken to, no wonder they were looking at her like she was crazy.  She had been their one-time almost daughter-in-law and she looked at them and spoke to them like they were complete strangers.  Of course, to her they were complete strangers…but they didn’t know that.  Her eyes wandered around the room, she felt like she couldn’t breathe.  The revelation about Garcia Flynn, the death of her mother, her worry over Rittenhouse, her concern for Wyatt, and now Noah -it was all crashing down on her at once and she absolutely felt herself sway. 

 

Noah grabbed her arm, “Oh my God, Lucy, are you okay?”

 

“She’s fine.”  Emma’s voice rang out.  She’s just not eaten enough.  Here, I brought you some canapes and some punch.” She handed Lucy another glass with a simpering grin.  Lucy took it from her as Emma winked at the two of them.  ‘I’ll leave you two to it then.” 

 

Lucy didn’t want punch. Talking to Noah?  That required some alcohol.  She flagged down a waiter and snagged a white wine. 

 

Noah watched her with alarm as he held her steady while she took a bite of the puffed meat pastry and drank down the wine, probably a little faster than she should have. “Thank you” she whispered.  “I’m just feeling a bit overwhelmed at the moment.” She closed her eyes as she felt the room spin. 

 

“Lucy, you shouldn’t be drinking alcohol, especially with the medications you’re taking.”

 

Perplexed, Lucy looked up at him.  “Wha – What are you talking about?” 

 

Noah smiled at her sadly and ran his hand up and down her arm, “I’m sorry, Lucy.  I shouldn’t have..I just –I worry about you and I just want you to know that I’m here for you.  I will always be here for you.  But you shouldn’t be reckless like this.” 

 

Lucy shook her head slowly, confused by what Noah was saying.  Her brain seemed to fog. Surely this wasn’t from one glass of wine?  Her thoughts were disjointed.  Her eyes darted around the room as Noah continued to talk to her. She didn’t hear him, she was only vaguely aware that he was standing there, even though his arm was still caressing hers.  She felt herself blinking hard as she attempted to focus her vision.  She had just flickered her dark eyes to the far corner of the room when she found a pair of blue ones, gazing intently back at her. Her breath hitched in her throat and she almost called out to him, but then she blinked and he was gone. 

 

She attempted to make her way over to the spot where she had seen him, but her feet felt heavy, her head was still spinning and Noah still had her arm.  “Lego off me” her speech was slow and slurred, and everyone in the room was looking at her.  She must have yelled it out, though she had no idea that she had. 

 

Noah put his hand on her waist and pulled her close, “Lucy, this is why you shouldn’t have had that wine.” Her eyes were now rolling in her head and she was feeling increasingly heavy as her body began to go limp.

 

The room was in slight chaos now as shouts rang out through the room.  People were murmuring and encircling the scene.  Lucy felt herself being pulled over to a post.  Noah was trying to give her some privacy – he had her face in both of his hands, looking at her with mounting concern.  She could tell he was calling her name, but his voice seemed very far away. 

 

And then suddenly _he_ was there.  She saw Noah look at him with anger as he wrenched _his_ hands away from her face and replaced them with his own.  “Lucy!  Lucy! Stay with me Lucy.”  She could see the panic in Wyatt’s face, but she felt completely incapable of even forming a word.  She knew vaguely that something was wrong.

 

Noah was breathing heavily, his face red with anger. “Don’t you think you’ve done enough?  Every time you’re around she’s in some kind of trouble. I imagine you’re responsible for her current state?”  Noah scoffed. “Besides, this is a private reception – I don’t believe _you_ were ever acquainted with Carol Preston. I know for a fact, that she was alarmed by your influence on her daughter.”

 

The entire room was watching their exchange now, Noah baring down on Wyatt angrily, Wyatt looking murderous, his arms wrapped around Lucy whose head was now lolling dangerously on her shoulders. “Hey, Doc – this may come as a surprise to you, but I don’t give a damn about what you or Carol Preston think of me.  My main concern right now is Lucy.  Can’t _you_ tell something is wrong with her?  Aren’t you a damn doctor?”

 

“Given the medication she’s been on, it doesn’t surprise me that she is a little out of sorts this evening, especially if she took it on an empty stomach and mixed it with alcohol.” Noah said accusingly.  “You know, she was just fine before she met you. I’ve seen her medical file, it’s appalling.”

 

Wyatt bit back the urge to beat the shit out of Dr. Noah, but Wyatt had to make him understand, or else Lucy was going to be in serious trouble.  “Look, man – I don’t know what you read or what the hell you’ve been told, but Lucy is not on any medication.  Believe me – I know.”  Wyatt looked down at Lucy and cupped his hand to her face, “Lucy, tell him – do you take anything?”

 

Lucy’s eyes were rolling in her head, the room was tilting but she mustered up enough self-awareness to shake her head and slur out, “I don’t take anything” 

 

“See?” Wyatt cried in desperation.  “These bastards drugged her…we need to get her stomach pumped.” 

 

Noah’s eyes widened as he looked from Wyatt to Lucy.  He could tell from the fear and panic etched on his face that Wyatt was telling the truth, though he still carried doubt, “Why- why would anyone do that?” It would mean they had to falsify her medical records, what purpose would that serve?”

 

“Ask questions later, Doc – if you want to help her, then do something now.” he said through gritted teeth, his face not disguising his mounting panic.   Wyatt had his arms propped up under Lucy’s, trying to keep her upright as her knees buckled below her.  Noah had just run off to get his medical bag when a gun shot rang out, the force of which knocked Lucy sideways out of Wyatt’s arms.  He screamed out in anger and despair as Jessica sprinted from the room, gun in hand, Emma hot on her heels.  The entire room was now in chaos, people were screaming, crying and rushing around.   Wyatt wanted to chase the two of them down, but he would not leave Lucy’s side.  She was now sprawled on the floor, bleeding from the gunshot wound that had hit her in the back of the shoulder. “Lucy!!!  Oh God” he moaned.  “Lucy!  Please God, no.” 

 

Noah was there in an instant, medical bag opened and moving quickly, yelling for someone to call an ambulance.  He flipped her over to determine the seriousness of the wound.   “It’s a clean shot” he muttered.  “But if she’s been drugged –“ he swallowed hard “-depending on what the substance is and how much she was given, she could go into cardiac arrest.  Did you see who did this?”              

 

“I know who did it.” Wyatt growled through his tears and gritted teeth.  His face was close to Lucy’s now, her blood on his hands as he caressed her cheek willing her to stay with him.

 

Lucy felt herself slipping as the minutes passed.  She was fighting so hard to keep her eyes open and fixed on Wyatt, but her body was fighting back.  Her eyes were heavy, the pain was overwhelming - she just wanted to fall asleep so that she could float away into peaceful oblivion while the world went to hell around her.  He shook her gently demanding her attention.  “Hey, Lucy – Lucy, you gotta stay awake for me, okay?”  His hands were shaking as he put pressure on her bullet wound.  “The ambulance is on the way, we’re gonna get you all fixed up and out of here.” 

 

“Her heart rate is too high” said Noah shaking his head with concern as he checked her pulse.  “Lucy, I need you to take slow, deep breaths for me, okay?”

 

She was gasping for air and Wyatt could see that she was panicking.  He grasped onto her hand and lifted her head to meet his.  ‘Breathe, Lucy.  Just breathe.”  She felt sick – the room was tilting, the pain from her arm excruciating and her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest.  Chills ran through her making her shudder and she closed her eyes. Wyatt couldn’t hide the fear in his voice, “No, no Lucy – stay with me.  Lucy!”  Obediently, she cracked her eyes open, groaning as she did so – she just wanted to sleep, the nausea was overwhelming and the spinning room did nothing to help that. Rufus was pushing through the crowd, leading the EMTs to her.   Her vision clouded and blurred and she once again closed her eyes to the chaos erupting around her.  Again, Wyatt pleaded with her to stay awake, begging her to look at him, but darkness was descending.  His voice seemed far away and as she finally slipped into unconsciousness she heard him no more. 

                                                __________________________

 

“What the HELL were you thinking?” screamed Emma as she dragged Jessica into a maintenance shed across campus. 

 

Jessica was fuming.  Her chest heaved as she paced the small building fuming at Emma Whitmore.  “Wyatt knew, Emma.  He knew and he was getting that doctor to help him save her.  I couldn’t let that happen. I wanted her to die.”

 

“Welcome to the club” snapped Emma. “But now thanks to you we’ve got Rittenhouse breathing down our necks because you just shot their most prized member right in front of the whole damn society.”

 

Jessica hesitated, “Maybe I can explain it away…I  can tell them I wasn’t aiming for her.”

 

Emma rolled her eyes, “You were standing in the middle of the room and everyone saw you shoot her from behind. There was no clear shot at Wyatt, if that’s what you were going for.  Do you really think that they are going to buy that?”  Emma put her hand on Jessica’s throat, her voice dangerous.  “And even if they did buy it, it doesn’t change the fact that you were so reckless you fired a gun in her direction – no, there’s no way around this, sweetie.”  Emma punched Jessica in the face. 

 

Jessica wrenched her neck out of Emma’s grasp, rubbing her throat and placing her hand over her swollen cheek.  “Wyatt wasn’t supposed to be there.” She spat out.  Jensen was supposed to keep him in 1945 while we took care of this.  Then I could have gone back and –“

 

“What?  Worked on your marriage?”  Emma scoffed.  “Keeping him in 1945 so he would be there waiting for you after Lucy was permanently out of the picture?”  Emma rolled her eyes.  “You ruined everything.  If you had just been patient, she _would_ have been out of the picture.”

 

Emma was furious with Jessica.  There was nowhere for them to hide now, except maybe the past.  But how long could they keep that up?  If Lucy Preston died, Emma knew that Wyatt would never rest until they were dead.  He and his LifeBoat gang would hunt them wherever they went.  If Rittenhouse didn’t kill them, the so-called Time Team would.  Even if Lucy lived, Wyatt’s anger combined with Rittenhouse’s was something that would not just go away – they were as good as dead.  Jessica, in her jealous rage, had signed their death warrants. 

 

Or maybe not – Emma’s breathing slowed as her mind worked to wrap around the problem of Lucy Preston. She needed Lucy Preston to die, but she had to be blameless in it.  She wished that Lucy had never been born, but if she went back to kill either Carol or Benjamin Cahill she knew that it would directly affect the course of her life and her recruitment to Rittenhouse.  She walked up and down the darkened shed, trying to plan her next move. 

 

Jessica watched her with resentful eyes, angry at herself for getting so carried away, angry at Wyatt for looking at and loving Lucy in a way he never did with her, and angry that everything they had worked for in Rittenhouse was all for naught, because of Lucy Preston.  “I’m sorry, Emma” Jessica sniveled.

 

Emma closed her eyes and thought back to her first few years with Rittenhouse.  The training, the thirst to prove herself, her years as a sleeper agent, her betrayal of Anthony – and then it dawned on her.  She was amazed that she hadn’t thought of it sooner. “We might just be able to pull this off after all” she breathed out.  Jessica looked at her with curiosity.  “Time to initiate Plan B.”

 

“There’s a Plan B?” Jessica asked as she followed Emma into the night. 

 

Emma turned to look at her as she made her way to the Mothership, “There is now.”


	9. Chapter 9

Seeing Lucy on that gurney, pale, unconscious and fading had been one of the worst moments of Wyatt’s life. He crumpled to the floor when they took her into the OR and left him behind the double doors.  Rufus had somehow gotten him to his feet and Jiya had wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug as they slowly made their way back to wait.  When the doctor emerged hours later, Wyatt covered his face in his hands and sobbed as it was announced that while Lucy had made it through the surgery, the combination of alcohol, drugs and the stress of her injury had caused her to go into cardiac arrest.  She was stable now, but they had almost lost her.  Those complications would have her in the ICU until they felt she was stable enough to be moved into the recovery unit.  “She’s a fighter, that one.” the surgeon said as he left them.

 

Wyatt nodded his head, and felt a strange surge of pride in her as he muttered almost to himself, “I know.”

 

It was late, but Wyatt didn’t care.  He wasn’t going to be able to sleep anyway.  Rufus and Jiya wouldn’t leave him.  They were worried about Lucy too, but Wyatt was the one that needed their support now and they were prepared to give it.      

 

When the news of Lucy’s condition had reached Agent Christopher, she and Garcia Flynn arrived at the hospital soon afterwards – Flynn sporting handcuffs so as to ward off any would be heroes who recognized him from the FBI’s Most Wanted list. Wyatt was surprised when Flynn sat next to him and gently said “I know how much you love her, Wyatt.  She is very lucky to have you.”  Flynn didn’t wait for his reply, but instead stood up and paced the floor, himself, his brow furrowed in deep concentration. 

 

After a few hours, a nurse approached them and announced that Lucy was doing much better than expected, and would most likely be moved before morning.  She was still unconscious from sedation, but if they wanted, they could see her one at a time.  Wyatt had just gotten up from his chair to follow the nurse, when Agent Christopher’s phone buzzed at her hip. 

 

_Mason, what’s going on?_

_What? How?_

_You’re sure?_

_But we haven’t tested….do you think?_

_No, she’s not out of recovery yet._

_Will do.  Sit tight, we’ll be there soon._

Everyone’s eyes were on Agent Christopher as she sat there in stunned silence.  Jiya was the first to speak, “What’s going on?”

 

“The Mothership has jumped.” Wyatt scrunched his face and breathed out a curse.  Agent Christopher looked to Rufus. “Emma has gone to December 13, 2003, looks to be outside of Sacramento.”

 

“What the hell would Emma want to be doing there?  And in her own timeline?  What’s worth _that_ risk?”  Rufus asked. 

 

Wyatt’s eyes darted to Rufus.  Why _would_ Emma go back to just 15 years ago?  What on Earth would she be doing there?  With Rittenhouse on her tail he half expected her to go back further in time, to hide, but outside of Sacramento?  There was nothing there except rolling farmland and rivers-“ Realization dawned on him as he bounded towards Agent Christopher.  Seventeen years ago Lucy started college.  Two years after that….  

 

Garcia Flynn’s recollection hit him almost at the same time.  “Lucy’s accident.” He said softly.  “It was in her journal.  The one Jensen talked about”

 

Wyatt spun around and looked at Flynn, his words verifying his suspicion and fear.  “Oh my God.  Lucy can’t jump, so if she dies then –“

 

“She’s won’t exist here anymore.  She will have been dead for 15 years.” Agent Christopher muttered.  Wyatt’s knees almost gave out as a fresh wave of panic overtook him.  He would have never known her.  She would have been dead long before they ever met at Mason.  A fury began building inside of him as he considered how hard Lucy had fought for her life just hours ago only to have Emma try to kill her in the past.  He wouldn’t let that happen – it couldn’t happen.  Agent Christopher was watching Wyatt closely, she seemed to have discerned the decision he had just made as she tentatively spoke, “There is a big risk, to whomever goes – Mason has not tested the new matrix for returning to your own timeline.  It could be deadly.”

 

“Doesn’t matter” said Wyatt. “I don’t care what happens to me. The most important thing is that she lives.”  He caught Flynn’s eye.  “Stay with her.  Here. Please.”  Flynn nodded.   

 

Rufus looked at Jiya. She knew that there was no use arguing with him, he would never let her pilot a mission that risky.  She gave him a tearful smile – “Go be a hero.”

 

Wyatt rushed down the hall of the ICU, until he was at her bedside.  The sight of her lying in that hospital bed, alive – but for who knew how long, brought tears to his eyes.  Even if he was successful in stopping Emma, there was the very real possibility that he wouldn’t make it back.  But he refused to think about that.  He had to be the one to go.  He couldn’t go ask anyone else to go for him.  He doubted he would trust anyone else to go for him.   He fumbled for her fingers and kissed them, before rushing out of the room.  He wasn’t about to say good-bye.

 

Rufus and Wyatt sped all the way to their new headquarters and sprinted into the hangar bay to a waiting Conner Mason, who was doing some last minute checks to the machine and the calibration. 

 

“I can’t pretend that this isn’t an enormous risk. I’ve re-calibrated the system and made some changes but without testing them, I have no idea how successful those changes will be, if they’re successful at all.  The good news is, Anthony didn’t die when he made the jump and he did it without these modifications.”  Rufus raised his eyebrows at Mason.  “I know. It was close.  But these adjustments should help…but try not to stay too long, if you can help it.  The less time you spend in a timeline you’ve already existed in, the better.”

 

Wyatt and Rufus looked at each other with anxious determination and then nodded at Mason. They clambered frantically into the hatch, desperate to save Lucy before it was too late.  Mason shook their hands, “Good Luck, you two and God speed.”

 

With that, the hatch closed and Wyatt and Rufus were left alone, hurriedly buckling themselves in and powering up the machine.  “For what it’s worth, Wyatt– there’s no one else I’d rather go down with if it comes to that.  We’re a team and I think it’s only right, that it’s the two of us going to save her.”

 

Wyatt nodded, “Same here, man.”              

 

 

Lucy’s eyes fluttered open. Her head ached and she felt stiff, her hand was tethered by IV tubes and heart rate monitors, the beeping causing the pain in her temple to pulse as it recorded each beat of her heart.  She tried to focus her eyes, and found herself struggling to even lift her head from the pillow. 

 

“Hey Beautiful”

 

 _Noah_. 

 

As he came into focus, she saw him decked out in his scrubs and lab coat, clipboard in hand. “Wh-What happened?”

 

“I was hoping you’d be able to tell me – I mean, what the hell was that?”  Noah asked incredulously. 

 

Lucy thought back to the last thing she remembered.  She had been talking to him and then everything started going fuzzy. She had dreamed about Wyatt, but knew he couldn’t have been there.  She looked back at Noah, puzzled. 

 

Noah approached her bedside and took her hand in his, his eyes filled with emotion.  “Lucy, I – I don’t know what the hell has been going on with you for the past two years, but it scares me.  I know I don’t have a right – I mean, I saw how that guy held you –“

 

Lucy shot up, “Wyatt?! – where is he?”  she had been so sure she had dreamed all of that, but who else could it have been? “Please Noah, is he here?” 

 

Noah cleared his throat – “No, he um…left.”  Lucy looked disappointed and almost heartbroken.  Noah, screwed up his face.  “You know Lucy ever since this new job and this guy came into your life, you’ve been – different.  And I know you said I would never understand it – but the last two times I’ve seen you, there have been gunshot wounds involved.  Lucy, what the hell are you doing?”

 

Lucy looked at Noah, appreciative of his sincere concern.  “Noah, I can’t tell you what I do, but it’s important.  And Wyatt – I trust him.“

 

Noah cast his eyes downward and shook his head, biting his lip.  “It doesn’t have to be this way, Lucy.  You are so important and you could have anything and everything you ever wanted. You just have to embrace who you are.”

 

Lucy gasped and flinched backwards away from him.  He put up his hands in an apologetic motion, seemingly sorry that he had spooked her. She didn’t know why she was surprised. As she had surmised before, Rittenhouse would have never allowed for her to marry someone other than someone they approved of.  Noah, of course would have been one of them.  “Lucy, I –I’m not going to hurt you.  I would never hurt you.”

 

She looked at him doubtfully, inching her finger towards the call button.  Her voice was choked full of emotion as she countered him, “All Rittenhouse has ever done is hurt me.”

 

“Not true, Lucy.  You just don’t know the whole story, you only see a small part.  This – this was not Rittenhouse.  This was Emma Whitmore and her pathetic attempt at revolution.  She will pay for what she’s done to you and your mother.” 

 

Lucy stared at him. “Where’s Wyatt?”

 

Noah sighed.  “I don’t know.  He was here and then he left.”  He took her hand again.  _I’m_ here though.  Lucy, I know what you must be thinking, but what we had was real.  I had seen you at an event and my mother pointed you out to me, and then Carol told me you liked to jog over the Golden Gate bridge.  I just wanted to talk with you away from Rittenhouse, see if maybe we could be good together without any pressure from our families.  When we met there on that jogging path, I forgot about all that Rittenhouse stuff and saw only you.”

 

Lucy removed her hand from his.  “Noah, the Lucy you knew and fell in love with was a different Lucy.  I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true.  I grew up with a sister named Amy and a father named Henry Wallace.  My mother was dying of cancer.  And then one day I started a new job and Amy was gone, my mother wasn’t sick and you were suddenly in my life telling me that we were engaged.”  She sobbed.  “I didn’t even know who you were.  Hell, I still don’t even know your last name.”

 

He pointed to his nametag with a soft smirk, “Carmichael.”  He cleared his throat.  “Lucy, I don’t want to force you into anything you don’t want to do, but at least consider what you’re doing.  You can’t keep living like this.”

 

She nodded at him solemnly and he stepped away from her bedside, “Um…you have some visitors.  One guy is in handcuffs” She gaped at him. “I’m not judging….but yeah, Lucy.  You lead a very strange life.”  He chuckled to himself as he reached her door and then turned to her, “Shall I send them in?”

 

Lucy nodded, ‘Please…and Noah?”  He looked back at her.  “Thank you.”

 

Flynn, Jiya and Agent Christopher entered her room, tentatively.  Lucy was appreciative of their hugs and well wishes but she only wanted to speak to Garcia Flynn.  She sent Agent Christopher and Jiya on a mission for some real food and a milkshake. When they left, she arrested Garcia Flynn with a serious gaze. 

 

“What is it, Lucy?” he smiled at her. 

 

“How long have you known?” she asked him with a piercing look. 

 

Flynn opened his mouth to speak and then seemed to think better of it.  He pursed his lips together and cocked his eyebrow at her.  “Known what?” 

 

“Benjamin Cahill is your father too.” Lucy said matter-of-factly.  “Don’t tell me you didn’t know that.”

 

“How did you find out?” Flynn asked her as he sat beside her, hands still bound in front of him. 

 

“Your mother’s name was written in a genealogical chart my mother made for me, with an entry next to Ben Cahill that indicated a boy born in 1975.  I put two and two together.”

 

Flynn smirked at her. “Yes, Benjamin Cahill swept my mother off of her feet.  She was very young, a widow…and very smart.  He was impressed by her abilities and he was well connected, wealthy…”  Flynn cast his eyes down, deep in thought. 

 

Lucy cleared her throat “Emma told me she was recruited by him to join Rittenhouse.  You never told me that she was part of Rittenhouse. Why?  And if she was part of it, why would they –“

 

“Kill my family?”  he finished for her.  “My mother was recruited by Rittenhouse, yes.  She was a brilliant engineer and her designs were instrumental in a number projects bankrolled by Rittenhouse.  Benjamin Cahill stayed with her until he met your mother at a party.  Your mother was a direct descendant of David Rittenhouse, younger and well, that combination was too much to resist.  It broke my mother’s heart when he began pursuing her.  So she left, got a job working for the government in Eastern Europe – and that was supposed to be our last association with Rittenhouse.  I was maybe a year old when she married Asher Flynn.”

 

Garcia Flynn sighed. “When I grew up, I didn’t know anything about Rittenhouse or Benjamin Cahill until one day, my mother called me, upset.  Carol Preston had paid her a visit demanding she sign off on the plans she had developed for a hypothetical project…time travel.  She refused, much to Carol’s disappointment and frustration.  But they weren’t finished with her.  Benjamin Cahill paid her a visit soon after.  I have no idea what he said or what he threatened her with, she died of a stroke not long after those visits.” Flynn scoffed biting back the tears forming in his eyes.

 

He got up and walked towards the window and looked out at the San Francisco skyline.  “I was working with the NSA at the time and I vowed to get to the bottom of whatever it was this Rittenhouse was up to with my mother’s plans.”  Lucy nodded at him.  “That’s when I saw the large sums of money being funneled through the Caymans to Conner Mason.  When I forwarded it to a contact of mine within the NSA,” he paused and looked back at Lucy before slowly turning his eyes back to the view outside, “my family was murdered just days later.” 

 

Lucy shuddered as she let out a sob.  Flynn gave her a wan smile.  “I imagine I was left alive because Cahill couldn’t stand to wipe any of his own children off the map, with all of their obsession with bloodlines - even half blood was better than nothing.”  Flynn grimaced. “So I ran, until one day in Sao Paulo, you walked in with a promise that we could stop them.” 

 

“Did you know then? Did she…I mean, did I tell you?” Lucy whispered.

 

“Yes.  But you gave me specific instructions that I was not to tell you.”  he smirked at her.  “I guess you didn’t want me to ruin the surprise.” 

 

Lucy breathed out a small laugh.  She thought of those early days when they had believed Flynn to be the enemy and they were unwittingly working for Rittenhouse.  He had terrorized them, tried to kill them – “Did you think I was one of them?”

 

Flynn turned to face her fully now, “I had my doubts during some of those missions.  Wondered if I should have trusted you at all…that maybe you were sent to turn me into a monster.  But then, after Watergate, I saw that you were beginning to realize the truth of the situation….even if you were still too kindhearted and naïve to deal a deathblow to those bastards.”

 

Lucy tilted her head at him and gave him a small grin, “Yeah, but if I had let you do everything you wanted to do, who knows if I would’ve been around to give you the journal in the future – you could have wiped me off the face of the Earth…and then what would you have done?”

 

Flynn didn’t answer. He was thinking about Wyatt and Rufus on their mission…if they weren’t successful, if they didn’t save her, Lucy _would_ be wiped off the face of the Earth.  He grimaced suddenly, as he was hit with a pang of worry.    

 

Lucy could see the concern in Flynn’s eyes as he looked at her.  “What’s wrong Flynn?”  Agent Christopher and Jiya were walking back into the room…she thought it was strange that neither Rufus nor Wyatt were there.  Panic rose in her chest as reasons for their absence assaulted her brain, but only one, she knew, would explain why both of them were gone.  “Where are they?”

 

Flynn’s eyes softened as he gave her an apologetic frown.  It made Lucy sit up straighter in her bed, groaning as she did so. “Flynn.  Tell me.  Where is Wyatt?”        

 

Lucy imagined for one terrible moment that Wyatt, in his anger had gone hunting Emma and Jessica. Her mind darted to every awful scenario and thought, from the look on Flynn’s face that he might even be there in the hospital fighting for his own life.  Her eyes demanded an answer and Flynn closed his own as he uttered her name.

 

_Lucy._

 

Agent Christopher stepped forward, “You know, you’ve been through enough today.  You don’t need to worry about anything, they’ll take care –“

 

“Don’t.  Don’t treat me with kid gloves.” Lucy gritted with determination.  “Just don’t.  I deserve to know the truth.”

 

Flynn lifted his bound hands to hers and looked into her face.  “The Mothership jumped while you were still unconscious, Lucy.”  He looked up at her face, full of expectation and fear.   He heaved a heavy sigh, “They went back to December 13, 2003.”

 

Lucy gasped and paled as memories from that night came rushing back, filling her with dread. She knew the implications of what that mission would entail for not just herself, but for Wyatt and Rufus.  They all could die.  Emma, she thought, wasn’t satisfied with taking her out in this lifetime, she wanted to take her out before she even became a threat to her and her bid for power.  And now Wyatt and Rufus could die trying to stop her.  Why couldn’t Emma just leave her alone?  Flynn stood up and sat beside her on the bed as she leaned into his chest convulsing as heavy sobs escaped her.  Agent Christopher and Jiya rushed to her side as well, all of them succumbing to the emotion of the moment.       

 

                                                            ____________________

 

Flynn had provided Rufus and Wyatt with as much information as he could remember from the journal for the location of her accident.  They arrived in 2003 with a pop – anxious for a myriad of reasons.  If this mission failed, there would be no Lucy to come home to. Her life would end right here, he would have never met her, and yet, he would’ve known her. Wyatt couldn’t imagine a worse kind of hell.  If they somehow managed to save her, there was still the side effects from traveling back to their own timeline – Mason had worked out a few kinks in the equation, but it was by no means perfect and since it hadn’t been tested, they had no idea what this trip would do to them.    

 

Wyatt opened the hatch and looked out into the dark night.  They were near a stretch of lonely road next to a winding river. Rufus worked to conceal the LifeBoat from sight with a few well placed branches when a whoosh and a thud on the other side of the river caught their attention. 

 

It wasn’t the Mothership. It was another LifeBoat.  _Their_ Lifeboat. 

 

Wyatt looked at Rufus “What the he-“

 

Rufus gasped loudly as the LifeBoat hatch opened and he saw Anthony Bruhl step out into the night. “Anthony?  Wh- Why is Anthony here?”

 

“Isn’t he dead?  Didn’t Flynn kill him?”  Wyatt asked. 

 

“Yes, but not yet – well, not yet in _his_ timeline.  No, he must have come here in the past at some point.”  Rufus’ face went from marked confusion to sudden realization.  “Holy shit!  THIS is where he came when he landed in the hospital for revisiting his own timeline.”  Rufus’ eyes were wide with wonder as he stared at his mentor and friend.  “But why?  Why here?  Why now? He didn’t know Lucy then.”

 

But just as he uttered those words, they watched as Anthony spilled oil all over the darkened roadway at the point of a dangerous curve.  Rufus and Wyatt looked on in horror, knowing now that it was he who caused Lucy’s accident.  No, not Anthony – Rittenhouse.

 

Wyatt’s mind went back to that conversation in 1944, he heard Lucy’s trembling voice, saw her pale face as she recounted how she had almost died. 

 

_I was ready to give up the whole history thing._

_I was going home to tell my mother I was going to join a band._

_I didn’t notice the oil slick on the road._

“Shit, Rufus.  Lucy was never supposed to be a part of any of this. She wanted to join a band – she told me. That’s why she was coming home, to tell her mother she was giving it all up.  And then Rittenhouse invented a damn time machine and changed her future.”

 

Rufus gaped at him, “She wanted to what, now?”  He had a hard time imagining Lucy as anything but their beloved historian. 

 

Wyatt rushed down towards the road as he saw headlights approaching at high speed.  It happened so fast, Lucy’s car spun out jumped the small bridge and landed in the water. Wyatt was just about to race in after her when another car pulled up suddenly.  _That would be Jensen_ , Wyatt thought. He heard the other LifeBoat depart and then watched as Jensen jumped out of his car and ran towards the water. Right before Jensen could jump in, however, he was suddenly felled by two shots to his head. 

 

Wyatt pulled out his own gun and shot the man now standing over Jensen’s body.  He raced across the street as Lucy’s car slipped further under the surface of the water. 

 

_Shit._

Wyatt dove in and swam as fast as he could to her sinking vehicle.  It was cold night and the water felt like daggers in his skin.  It took his breath away, but he couldn't dwell on that.  He thought only of Lucy.  Her car was almost completely submerged now.  He could see her struggling inside, a pocket of air still visible within.  He reached in his back pocket and pulled out a window hammer.   As the glass broke free, the water rushed in and he heard Lucy give one last gasp as it swiftly washed over her head.  Her arms were flailing in panic, she was still caught in her seatbelt – of course she was – and Wyatt was desperately trying to get her free as she struggled. The cold water had made his hands numb, his lunges were burning, and Lucy was thrashing around so wildly, it was proving to be an almost impossible task. Finally freeing her from the seatbelt, he pulled her through the window and kicked desperately to the surface, his lungs screaming for air.

 

He swam towards the river’s edge, dragging Lucy behind him.  She had gone limp and Wyatt was panicking – the shore seemed to move further and further away the more he paddled towards it. 

 

He managed to touch the riverbed with his feet and used that to help him propel Lucy ahead of him and bring her to land.  As he pulled her from the water and onto the river’s edge, he saw, much to his horror, that she was not breathing.

 

“No, No, No, NO, Lucy!” he yelled.  He put his ear to her face, and then with shaking hands tilted her head up, put his mouth to hers and began CPR.  He had just started pumping her chest, when the sound of a breaking twig startled him.  There standing just feet away from him was Jessica, pointing a gun at him.

 

“Step away from her, Wyatt.” She said with a voice of deadly calm. 

 

“Jessica” he breathed “Don’t do this – please.”

 

“She has to die, Wyatt. And if I don’t kill her, Emma will. She’s due back here any minute.” She made another step towards him as he continued blowing breaths into Lucy’s mouth.

 

“I said STOP, Wyatt.” she screamed at him, the gun shaking in her hand. 

 

Wyatt continued to administer CPR, looking up at Jessica as she stared him down.  “If you kill her then you’ll have to kill me.” 

 

He breathed into Lucy’s mouth again and Jessica fired the gun into a tree right beside them.  “I said STOP.” Her eyes were determined and murderous. The shot had made Wyatt flinch, but he merely glared at Jessica before once again pumping Lucy’s chest pleading with her to breathe. “C’mon Lucy, breathe for me, babydoll.  Breathe, Lucy.” 

 

Jessica’s gun was now at Wyatt’s head.  “One more move and I will pull the damn trigger.” 

 

Wyatt paused for just a moment.  When a shot rang out, piercing the night.  He felt Jessica falter beside him and fall.  He turned and saw Rufus standing just beyond the bushes from where Jessica had emerged, looking at once horrified and relieved.  “I-I’m sorry, man.  I didn’t mean to kill her, I swear…I just grabbed that guy’s gun” he said as he pointed to the goon who had killed Jensen.

 

“Don’t be sorry, Rufus. I’m not” he said through gritted teeth, though tears were escaping his eyes.  He breathed into Lucy’s mouth again. “Please, Lucy, BREATHE!”  He pumped her chest again and then quickly turned her over on her side as she coughed and sputtered onto the dusty ground, gasping for air and shivering all over. “Oh thank God” Wyatt breathed out shakily.    Wyatt looked to Rufus, who shook off his jacket and handed it over.  Wyatt wrapped her in it and held her close to him.  His head was pounding, but he didn’t care. 

 

“Wyatt,” said Rufus. We can’t stay here, man.  I used Jensen’s cell phone and called an ambulance. They’re on their way.  She’ll be fine.  We need to go.”

 

Wyatt shook his head, “No, Jessica said Emma was coming back.  I’m not leaving her until she’s safe.”

 

‘Wyatt – we need to get the hell out of here!  Your nose is bleeding.  My head is pounding.  You won’t do her any favors if you die out here.”  Rufus was breathing heavily.

 

Wyatt reluctantly pulled away from the younger Lucy.  He had to smile at how young and innocent she looked, she was staring at him with wide eyes, her mouth opening and closing as if she were trying to find the right words to say.  He swiped the wet hair away from her cheeks and held her face “Are you hurt?”

 

She shook her head. 

 

“Good.”  He looked intently at her, “Okay, listen, I can’t explain anything, but you need to hide.   Stay hidden until the ambulance comes.  And if you see a woman with red hair” he handed her the gun Jessica had dropped. “shoot her – before she shoots you.” 

 

Lucy gaped at him, incredulous but she nodded as Wyatt stood up, grimacing from the pain in his head. “Wha-What about you?  Where are you going?” her voice was shaking from fear and from the cold.

 

“Don’t worry, ma’am. You’ll know soon enough.” He rushed over to Rufus and the two of them made their way to the waiting LifeBoat. 

Rufus and Wyatt clambered into the LifeBoat as quickly as they could, despite the pounding of their heads.  Wyatt taking one glance back towards Lucy before the hatch closed.  “You alright, man?”  Rufus asked Wyatt. 

 

Wyatt nodded, “Yeah…I was just wondering what Lucy’s life would’ve been like if Rittenhouse hadn’t done this to her.”

 

Rufus nodded as he switched on the controls, “You do realize that we’re going to go back to a time where _you_ saved her instead of that Jensen, guy?  I wonder if she would have recognized you when you first met at Mason?”

 

The thought sent Wyatt’s mind reeling.  Would it change anything between them?  Would things be completely different when they got back?  His thoughts were wrapped around Lucy and he couldn’t wait one more second to be back at her side.

 

The LifeBoat had come alive and was shuddering as it prepared to launch, when the alarm sounded. Wyatt’s heart dropped into his stomach. “What is it, Rufus?”

 

“Emma” – Rufus said as he looked back at Wyatt with wide eyes. 

 

“Stop us, Rufus.  We need to go back!” Wyatt was struggling with his harness.

 

“It’s too late, Wyatt, we’re mid-jump now.”

 

The trip back to the present seemed to take forever.  The pain in Wyatt’s head was awful.  As soon as the hatch opened, he vomited all over the floor of the warehouse, Rufus right behind him.  The world seemed to spin as he lay on the floor, feeling as if his head were going to explode, feeling as if his body had just been broken into millions of pieces and taped back together.  He tried to ask Mason about Lucy, but his vision blurred and soon he knew nothing but darkness.

 

 

 

Wyatt awoke in an unfamiliar room.  His headache gone, the pain in his body too.  He sat up tentatively in bed and looked around.  He wasn’t in the hospital, he looked to be in what looked like a dorm room, but he was attached to heart rate monitors and an IV.  He swung his legs over the bed and stood up, gingerly as the door to his room swung open. 

 

“Oh, you’re awake, I’m Colonel Schuster the on-call medic for your team.”  Col. Schuster  glanced at the clipboard in his hand.  We did an MRI, you’re going to be fine.  But had you been any longer, I’m afraid you would have suffered some serious complications. You and Mr. Carlin should consider yourselves very lucky.   You’ve been out for a week as it is – the trauma to your head was akin to a serious concussion.  We transferred you back to base for continued observation – security was becoming a factor with so many of you in different hospital units.

 

Wyatt didn’t care to hear anymore about his condition, he only wanted to know one thing.  The doctor attempted to do a quick examination, but Wyatt swiped away his hands, “Where’s Lucy?”

 

“Lucy?” Colonel Schuster asked.  Wyatt was immediately filled with dread, he couldn’t breathe.  He staggered somewhat as the doctor instructed him to lie down and rest.  Wyatt's voice was unsteady, “No. Please, God.  Tell me she’s alive.”

 

“Alive?”  he considered Wyatt for a moment, “Do- do you mean the young lady with the gun shot wound?  Yes, she’s fine.  She was brought back here just yesterday.”

 

Wyatt’s voice hitched in his throat, all he could muster out was “Where?”

 

“I believe she’s resting in the common area.  Now if you would just relax I need to check your vitals”

 

But Wyatt had already unclamped his IV and left the room.  He was unfamiliar with the layout of their new home, he wandered down a hallway that never seemed to end turning his head from side to side, hoping to catch a glimpse of her.  He turned a corner, walked through a kitchen and suddenly there she was – her back towards him, sitting in a chair, nursing a mug of tea. 

 

“Lucy?” he gave a strained whisper

 

She quickly turned in her chair and stood up, staring at him. 

 

He was at her side in two strides, He wrapped one arm around her waist and ran his other hand through her hair as he crashed his lips against hers in an insistent and passionate kiss.  Lucy gasped as she pulled away from him and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight embrace, tears falling freely from her eyes.  “I love you” she whispered desperately as her lips grazed his cheeks, her face nuzzled against his.  The sound of those three words coming from Lucy, sent Wyatt’s heart soaring, every fiber of his being came alive as he held her close to him, their hearts pounding in a unified rhythm.  Wyatt’s hold on her tightened – he never wanted to let her go.  He nuzzled his nose into her hair and neck, his lips grazing her jaw until they found hers again.  His own eyes were wet with tears as he thought about how close he had been to losing her, he needed her, he wanted her – his insistent lips communicating just how much.  Wrapped in each other arms, breathless, panting they broke apart slightly, foreheads touching and gazing into each other’s eyes – completely lost in one another.        

 

Garcia Flynn gave a little cough which brought the two of them to their senses. Still wrapped in an embrace, they turned their heads and saw, much to their surprise, that Rufus and Jiya were standing right next to them, grinning broadly, eyebrows raised in excited anticipation.

 

“Hi.” Rufus said with a wide grin and smiling eyes

 

“Is it happening?” asked Jiya unable to contain her giddiness.

 

Wyatt and Lucy stood there, holding onto each other taking in the scene around them.  Rufus and Jiya standing right beside them, goofily grinning back at them, Flynn sitting in the nearby armchair smirking and “reading” the newspaper, and Mason fondly smiling at them like a proud parent pretending to be fiddling with the computers.  Wyatt cleared his throat and took Lucy by the hand walking her away from their gawking teammates as Rufus yelled after them, “So, it’s happening?”

 

“What I wouldn’t give for just a little privacy.  We may not be in the bunker anymore, but nothing has changed.”  Wyatt muttered as they wandered away from the common room. 

 

Lucy pulled him over into the hall and pressed him up against the wall with a soft kiss, her eyes flirtatious and smiling as she raked her fingers through his hair.  “Well, I don’t know about that.” She stood on her tip toes and nuzzled into his neck, whispering in his ear, “all of these doors have locks that actually work.”

 

Wyatt gave her a devilish grin, “That’s very interesting, Ms. Preston.”  He dropped his face to her neck and began moving his mouth along the length of it, causing Lucy to gasp and giggle.  “But I thought we were going to take things slow?” he muttered against her skin. 

 

Lucy pulled herself away from him and nuzzled her nose against his “Well, it HAS been 73 years since our first date.”

 

Wyatt gave her a quick kiss on the lips and wrapped her in his arms looking fondly at her, “We never did finish that date, did we?”

 

Lucy raised an eyebrow at him, smirked and then attempted to pull a serious face, “No, we didn’t.” She frowned playfully, “It was kind of a disaster.”

 

Wyatt frowned back at her, “Probably not good for my chances, huh?” He shook his head in mock frustration, “I had high hopes of making out with you on top of the Empire State Building.”  He glanced at her with a playful smirk. “What do you say?  Give a guy another chance?”

 

Lucy pulled herself away from Wyatt and began pacing the floor in front of him. “Hmmm…I don’t know.” She gave an apologetic shrug, “You see, there was this guy who pulled me out of a sinking car and saved my life - ” Wyatt dropped his gaze to the floor, grinning and shaking his head.

 

He feigned a deep, sad sigh, rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and twisted his face into a grimace. “Oh I see….and you fell for him?”

 

Lucy pursed her lips, ‘Well that’s just the thing, he just left me there by the side of the river.  I had to wait 13 years to see him again…and then he didn’t even recognize me.” She shrugged her shoulders in mock annoyance.

 

Wyatt wrapped his arms around her waist, pulled her towards him and murmured against her lips, “Sounds like a jackass.”

 

Lucy smiled against his cheek, “More like a reckless hothead.”

 

“Well to be honest ma’am,” he began peppering her neck with kisses, “I’m kind of hung up on a bossy know it all.”

 

“Mmmm” sighed Lucy “good to know.”  She wrapped her arms around his neck as his mouth crashed against hers again.  He lifted her as she wrapped her legs around his waist while he conveyed her down the hall.  Lucy’s giggles as Wyatt fumbled with her bedroom door carried all the way to the common area where Rufus and Jiya sat together, side by side smirking as they worked to update the computer system.

 

“It’s happening” Jiya muttered as she and Rufus gave each other five.    

 

Flynn rolled his eyes as the two of them slapped each other’s hands and squealed in delight. 

 

Mason shook his head at the three of them with a smirk, never wanting to admit that he was just as excited as Rufus and Jiya about a happy end for Lucy and Wyatt.  So he waited until he had crossed the room, well out of earshot - before he breathed under his breath, “It’s about bloody time.”


	10. Chapter 10 - Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is devoted to how Lucy's life had gone before Rittenhouse sent Anthony and caused her accident. I hadn't expected to write so much for this one, but it just kept coming. This chapter will bring us back to the beginning -- full circle and all that. Thank you for making it this far - I hope you've enjoyed this as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

EPILOGUE

 

 _Nothing ahead but the open road_.  Lucy Preston was taking control of her life for the first time ever.  Amy had always told her to make her own future and she had finally decided that she had had enough.  She laughed at herself as she thought about how scared she had been to throw caution to the wind and chase her dreams, but now that she was on the road, she felt lighter than she had ever felt in her before. 

 

She had always wanted to make her mother proud, always dreamed of following in her footsteps, but countless hours in the library, researching, writing, rewriting, and doing even more research was starting to take its toll and she wasn’t even close to halfway done.  She needed a break.  She needed to do something crazy and irresponsible just once in her life.  She had always loved to sing, always harbored a secret desire to headline at some concert with adoring fans cheering her on. Late nights singing into hair brushes with Amy had given way to such thoughts when she was a kid and she never quite outgrew them.  So, when a group of her friends approached her about forming a band and cruising up and down the coast, she couldn’t resist.  Her mother, she knew, would be disappointed, but she was sure her father would be able to convince her to let her sow a few wild oats.

 

Lucy rushed home from winter break, just in time for Amy’s birthday.  She told her mother at dinner, only after Amy kicked her under the table mouthing behind her hand to “go ahead and tell mom already.”  Carol Preston was disappointed but as she had suspected, her father came to her rescue admonishing Carol that she had been young once upon a time and she had thrown caution to the wind when she married him against her parents’ wishes.  The ensuing conversation made them all laugh until they cried as her parents recalled the first time they had met at UC Berkley in 1979.  It was love at first sight, Henry had purposefully bumped into her at the library knocking stacks of books and microfilm all over the research room claiming he was looking for the bathroom, but in reality, just hoping to talk to the pretty girl who sat in the front row of their shared history class.

 

Carol had finally agreed to allow Lucy to take a vacation from school to sing as long as she promised to go back and finish her studies.  “I’ll give you two years, and then you need to finish what you started.” Lucy readily agreed.  She had always wanted to teach…maybe at a small college, not at Stanford like her mother.   She did love history, but she couldn’t help but feel that if she didn’t do this, she would regret it for the rest of her life. 

 

 

Training had been no picnic, but for the first time ever, Wyatt Logan felt like he had his head on straight.  After serving several years in the Army, he had been selected for Delta Force.  He was finally finished with the grueling training and tonight he was going to have a drink in memory of his Grandpa Sherwin. He knew that wherever he was, he was looking down on him and smiling.  Wyatt joined the Army to make him proud, to follow in his footsteps. He never dreamed that he would be selected for the elite force, but when opportunity came knocking, he thought of his grandfather and took the chance.  Now here he was, in San Diego, kicking back with his fellow selectees. 

 

He should’ve been overjoyed, relieved, and just damn happy that he had survived the training, but he had just gotten a letter from his on again off again girlfriend, Jessica, in Texas. They were off-again.  She had just started dating one of their mutual friends from high school and while she said she was proud of what he had accomplished, she wasn’t sure she could be in a relationship with someone who was a “state secret.”  Wyatt understood, though he was disappointed.  He had fallen in love with Jessica the first minute he saw her, but he was so hell-bent on making a life for himself, he didn’t stop to think about what it meant for them, as a couple.  He was sure that if they ever became on again - again, he would ask her to marry him, because now that he had a career, he could support her and they could make a life together, away from Texas. 

 

His buddy Dave Baumgardner, affectionately known as “Bam Bam” to their group, had cursed Wyatt for brooding on the night they had officially graduated from the brutal training for Delta Force.  Wyatt needed a drink -  hell, they all did -  and so Bam Bam dragged them all to this seaside bar to celebrate…and to get Wyatt “good and drunk.” 

 

The group sat at a few tables pushed together next to a window.  Half of the group were already on their way to being drunk.  Wyatt, however, was still nursing his first whiskey. Bam Bam, being ever ready to take care of his good pal, had brought a few girls over to their table.  Wyatt had no interest in meeting any one new tonight and he knew exactly what Dave was up to.  After the third or fourth girl had asked for his number, Wyatt politely excused himself and decided he would step out and get some air. 

 

He found a nice bench next to the bar where he could sit and listen to music mixed with the gentle sound of the ocean.  Despite being in San Diego, he found this particular spot peaceful.  He kicked his legs out in front of him, reclined a bit on the bench and tilted his head up to look up at the sky.  He had just closed his eyes to let the sounds of the seaside wash over him when he was accosted by a hushed and nervous voice. 

 

“Are you asleep?” 

 

“No, ma’am” he didn’t open his eyes. 

 

“Oh, good.  Um…Do you happen to know where _The Roof_ is? I’m supposed to be meeting my -“

 

“No idea, ma’am.” He kept his eyes firmly shut, hoping this girl would get the hint and leave him alone.

 

Her voice suddenly changed from anxious to irritated, “You know, we’re pretty much the same age, so you can quit calling me ma’am.”

 

That response made him laugh.  He called every woman ma’am as a sign of respect, even more so since joining the military.  He opened one eye to find himself face to face with a pretty brunette who at once looked like a complete ball of nerves and confidently determined.  He smirked at her. 

 

She gave him a wary glance in return and began shuffling though a notebook looking desperately for street signs that would point her in the right direction.  Noting her mounting anxiety, he huffed out a breath and asked her to give him the directions she had and he would do his best to help her find her way. 

 

“Thank you” she said breathlessly full of embarrassment.  “I left my car at the hotel and the concierge must have given me the wrong address, because when I look at what my friends told me it says nothing about the harbor.” She was rambling and she knew it, but her anxiety was mounting and she couldn’t help herself.  “I’ve never done this before..I mean, I’ve asked for directions before, I just have never done something this – crazy.”

 

Wyatt had been looking at her incredulously as she spoke, but at her latest comment, he arched his eyebrow at her and asked, “What’s crazy about getting directions?”

 

“Oh, it’s not that.  I –I really shouldn’t even be here.  I’m going to school to study history, like my mother.  She’s the Department Chair at Stanford, so ya know, big shoes to fill and all that.” Wyatt’s eyes widened at her rambling. “I decided, on a whim, to take a break from school to do this.”

 

“What?  Ask strangers for directions in San Diego?”

 

“Oh….No” she laughed nervously. “I left school to -  ahem…sing with a band” she muttered that last part very quickly. 

 

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that.” He leaned forward and tilted his ear towards her. 

 

“I left school to sing with a band.” she said more clearly with and in complete humiliation.  Wyatt tried, but failed, to suppress a small laugh. “We decided to take a break from our studies and drive up and down the coast, doing something utterly….crazy….oh my God, maybe my mother was right, I should’ve just stuck to history.  Who am I kidding?”  Her hands were over her face now, she looked completely distraught. 

 

Wyatt was at a loss of what to do.  He was just looking for some peace and quiet and now here was this girl having a breakdown right in front of him.  Wyatt couldn’t help but notice that she was cute…and was amused by her openness and obvious apprehension.  Looking at her, he could tell that she was not one for spontaneity, yet here she was. He was strangely impressed and entranced by this oh so honest young woman - he was positive he had never met anyone like her.  He wanted to give her any encouragement that he could, she desperately looked like she needed it.  He smiled and she almost became undone, he had a nice smile.  “Listen, I just met you, but the fact that you just decided to up and leave school when you’ve got all this pressure from your mother – that’s pretty brave.”

 

Her eyes widened and mouth dropped open in surprise.  “I’ve never considered myself brave.” she scoffed.  “I – I’ve just always just done what was expected of me and tried to make my mother proud.  This – this is…”

 

“Something you always wanted to do?”  Wyatt smirked at her.  She nodded her head, smiling sheepishly.  “I get that you want to make your mom proud, I always wanted to make my Grandpa Sherwin proud, but at the end of the day, you have to make you own future.”

 

She gaped at him.  “My sister says the exact same thing.”

 

“Well, she’s right.” They stood there smiling and staring at each other for a beat too long, when Wyatt coughed and looked at her directions again.  “What’s the name of the place you’re singing at again?”  He looked through her handwritten notes.  “Is it the Tin Roof?” 

 

“Yes! that’s it.” She breathed out a sigh of relief. 

 

“That’s in the Gaslamp Quarter.  It’s a few blocks that way, near Downtown.

 

“Oh shucks.  I thought it was over here by the beach.” She checked her watch.  “Well, my set is in an hour, I suppose I better get going.  Thank you so much for helping me….” She held out her hand expectantly. 

 

“Wyatt” he said as he shook her hand with a smirk. 

 

“Lucy” she returned with a grin.  “It was nice to meet you, Wyatt.”

 

“It was nice to meet you too.” He smiled at her as she turned and walked away.  He would’ve instantly regretted not getting her number if fate hadn’t stepped in and lent a hand.  He was just turning to go back to his friends at the bar when he saw her stop short, heard her curse and then crouch down on the sidewalk. 

 

“What happened?” he asked as he ran up to check on her.

 

“Ugh, these heels. I’m stuck in the grate.” 

 

Wyatt bit back a laugh. “Here, let me help you.”  He wrapped his hand around her foot and yanked it up, throwing her off her balance and causing her to topple over on top of him, her shoe flying off in the other direction. 

 

“Oh my gosh, are you okay?” She said as she straightened herself up. 

 

“Yes, ma’am.” Wyatt said with a sigh. 

 

“There’s that ma’am again.” Lucy said with mock annoyance.  “What’s up with that, anyway?”

 

He stood up and brushed himself off with a shrug.  “Comes with the territory, I guess.”

 

“Oh, are you military?” her eyes widening in surprise as she leaned on his arm to put her shoe back on. 

 

Wyatt bowed his head and gave her a humble smile, “Yes ma’am, just got selected for Delta Force.”

 

Lucy gasped, “Delta Force? You’re actually in Delta Force?  And you called me brave?”  She chuckled to herself and shook her head.

 

“What?” Wyatt chuckled back at her as he adjusted the collar of her coat which was had flown up during their accident.

 

“Nothing, It’s just that….I mean, of all the people that come to my rescue in San Diego – I get Delta Force, I just think it’s kind of….like a modern day fairy tale.” Lucy said with a sheepish smile. 

 

Wyatt laughed and almost couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of his own mouth. “Well, I’d be a terrible knight in shining armor if I didn’t see you safely to your destination, ma’am.”. 

 

Lucy looked surprised, “Don’t you have friends to get back to?”

 

Wyatt shrugged.  “I’d rather be here.”

 

They talked the whole way to the club.  She amazed him with her knowledge of Delta Force, not even hesitating when he challenged her with the question about what the first mission was, she went on to talk about the history of San Diego and about the various missions that began settlements throughout California, before she suddenly stopped – “I’m sorry.  I know I sound like a Professor.” 

 

Wyatt shrugged as he looked at her “You’re going to be a good teacher.  I never even liked history before, but you make it interesting…and I promise, I’m not just saying that to impress you.”

 

“Thank you, Wyatt.” she said with a grin.  “Well, this is me” she looked up at the sign outside. “Wanna come in and have a good laugh at my expense?”

 

Wyatt didn’t laugh – he was blown away by Lucy Preston.  She was smart, talented, a bit of a klutz, but absolutely adorable.  When her set was over, he approached her nervously and asked her if she wanted to go grab a bite to eat.  By the end of the night, he had completely forgotten why he had been brooding in the first place, but he was so very glad he had been out there on that park bench.  Meeting Lucy was one step above being selected for Delta Force. 

 

**11 years later (2014)**

 

The moving truck pulled away and Lucy turned to face the never ending sea of boxes that awaited her in their new California home.  Leaving Ohio had been hard, but now that her mother was sick, Lucy and Wyatt had decided that they would move back West to help out.  Now that her father was dead, Amy was the only one that could be there for their mother and she was finishing up college.  Lucy didn’t want her to have to carry that load all on her own. 

 

Wyatt had fulfilled his enlistment requirement and rather than re-enlisting in military service, he switched to a civilian career with the Department of Homeland Security.  His new boss, Agent Denise Christopher, had come by with a housewarming gift and Wyatt had just left with her to get acquainted with his new field office. 

 

Lucy sighed as she began unpacking their old life.  She never thought that she would be back in California.  She loved her home state, but she much preferred a quieter life in Ohio. She had only been back in town a few days and her mother was already insisting that she take up a position at Stanford.  “I built that Department, it’s my legacy.  I want you to follow in my footsteps, Lucy.”  The guilt was eating away at her, despite arguments from both Amy and Wyatt that she should make her own legacy.  Lucy, still, after all these years, wanted to make her mother proud – but an offer from the local community college had just come in and she was ready to accept it. 

 

Her doorbell rang and she ran to answer it, at a loss for who it might be.  She was greeted by the sight of a pretty brunette woman and a small little girl holding a plate full of cookies.  “Do you have any kids?” The child asked. 

 

Lucy blushed and laughed. “No, not yet…I’m sorry to disappoint you.”  She looked up at the child’s mother who was smiling in apology. 

 

“I’m so sorry for Iris, she has been so excited since she saw the moving trucks.”

 

“No, it’s’ fine” said Lucy. “We’re just moving back here from Ohio…my mother is sick.”  Lucy explained.  Iris was looking disappointed.  “But we’re hoping for a little one soon.” Lucy added as she winked at Iris.  “I’m Lucy.”

 

“I’m Lorena.  Lorena Flynn.  We live a few doors down.”

 

 

Months later, Wyatt awoke with a start.  He kissed Lucy on the forehead and crept over to the window.  Their street was lined with government vehicles and flashing lights. “What the hell?” he muttered as he pulled out his phone. 

 

Lucy blinked awake, “Wyatt, what’s wrong?”

 

“I don’t know – by the looks of it, nothing good.  You stay here, I’m going to find out.”

 

Lucy pulled on a robe and went downstairs to make a cup of tea.  An hour passed before Wyatt came back into the house, looking grim.  She could tell that he had been crying. “Wyatt, what happened?  What’s wrong?

 

He pulled her into an embrace.  “It appears Garcia Flynn murdered his family.”

 

The next few days were a blur.  Government agents, policeman, media swarmed their once quiet street.  Lucy had grown to love Iris and she and Lorena had been warm friends.  Garcia Flynn always seemed like the typical family man – devoted husband and father. He had been an NSA agent and on occasion, he and Wyatt had opportunities to work together.  Not in an official capacity, but if Wyatt needed a favor from the NSA, Flynn was his contact and if Flynn needed something from Homeland, Wyatt was his. 

 

Lucy found herself crying over the whole ordeal while she was at her mother’s the following week. Carol Preston had just gone through a grueling chemotherapy session and Lucy was staying over to assist her mother in her weakened condition.  Her mother was reclining on the sofa watching the news when Lucy brought her some tea. Lucy flinched as Lorena and Iris’ pictures flashed on the screen.  “Mom, do you mind…uh – can we change the channel?” 

 

Carol looked at Lucy, “Sure, sweetheart.”  She handed Lucy the remote.  “It’s awful isn’t it?  You know, I knew his mother.”

 

Lucy gasped, “Garcia Flynn? Why didn’t you tell me before?”

 

Carol laughed, “Why on Earth would I do that?  I didn’t think it would signify.”

 

“Well, he lived down the street from us.  I was friends with his wife and daughter.” Lucy said shakily unable to control her emotions. 

 

Carol eyes darted upward in alarm, “You knew Garcia Flynn?”

 

Lucy was taken aback by her mother’s reaction, “Yes…but you don’t have to worry.  Wyatt has installed every alarm system known to man since the murd - since that day.” Lucy said as her voice caught in her throat.  “If anyone so much as stepped in our front yard, Wyatt would know about it.”  

 

Carol smiled at Lucy, but she could still tell that her mother was unnerved by the idea that she had been friends and neighbors with the Flynn family.  Lucy considered how she would feel under the same circumstances with her own daughter – she would probably be nervous too.  “Mom, really it’s fine.”

 

“Lucy,” Carol sighed. “Did you know anything about Garcia Flynn?  His family?  Who his parents were?

 

Lucy scoffed, “You’re sounding like those investigators.  No, I didn’t talk with him much…mostly Lorena and Iris” she said sadly.  “But you said you knew his mother – have I ever met her?”

 

Carol quickly shook her head, “No no no – I was just curious.  It’s ironic that I should know her from years ago and my daughter would be neighbors with her son.  What are the odds?”

 

Lucy shrugged, “Kinda seems like fate, huh?”               

 

**2015**

It was Christmas and Carol Preston was getting sicker by the day.  The doctors were only giving her six more months to live making for a very somber yuletide. 

 

Amy Preston answered the door of her mother’s home to find an elderly man standing before her.  “Can I help you?”

 

“Ah, yes, you must be Amy. I’m an old friend of your mother’s, may I see her?”

 

“Um…let me ask her…can I have your name?”

 

“Benjamin Cahill”

 

Benjamin Cahill entered Carol Preston’s bedroom and sat by her bedside. “How are we feeling today, Carol?”

 

Carol Preston, raised her eyebrows weakly at him and gasped a rasping breath, “I’m dying, Benjamin. What news do you have for me?”

 

Benjamin Cahill smiled at her, “You’ll be pleased to know that the Mothership is nearing completion, however, we are missing a vital piece of the puzzle.”he gave her a meaningful glare.

 

Carol sighed and shook her head, “I tried, you will have to find someone else.  She is so headstrong – she didn’t want Stanford, she wants to move back to Ohio after I die.”

 

“She was born for this, Carol.  She is too important, you know that.” Benjamin Cahill stood up and began pacing around the room.  “You should have pushed harder.  You should have never allowed her to run off in the middle of her studies to – to go make a fool of herself all over California.  And then she ended up marrying some nobody….you know we had plans for her. How could you let it happen?”

 

Carol closed her eyes and shook her head.  “I know. I didn’t think allowing her a little freedom would throw her so off-track.”

 

Benjamin Cahill softened and he returned to her bedside. “I should have intervened sooner, I’m sorry. It shouldn’t have all been left to you.”

 

Carol gave a shuddering breath, “Well, we all have our regrets.  It was just so hard to deny her anything when she was so happy.”

 

“Imagine how happy she will be when you are well, and when her life is as it should be.  When her success equals your own, and she is chosen to be part of history!”

 

Carol looked at Benjamin Cahill, “I think I should tell you – she’s pregnant.  She’s very excited…they both are.”

 

Cahill rolled his eyes. “She doesn’t know what she could and should be.  You failed in her education, Carol.  She should have been told about Rittenhouse before she left for college.  She should have been raised learning the finer points of what it means to be a part of this legacy.  A legacy that requires her to be a bit more careful in choosing a partner.”

 

Carol sighed, “You know, it was a burden for me…and marrying Henry was my way of rebelling.  I suppose I just understood a little more than she realized I would when she asked me if she could take that break to go sing.” She smiled at the memory.  “And when she came back, so in love, and so happy….it made me happy too.”

 

Benjamin Cahill gave her a pointed glare, “And look at you, Carol.  Henry’s habit ended up killing you.  This was the price of your rebellion.  What price will Lucy pay for hers?”  He shook his head.  “Would you wish your fate on her?  Or something worse?”  He sighed. “We cannot fix this without Lucy. It’s the whole reason she was born, to carry on this legacy, to fill your shoes. It's the whole reason we –“ he stopped short. “We have to fix this.”

 

Carol looked up at him in surprise.  “Fix what? Fix Lucy?” she laughed. 

 

Benjamin Cahill looked at her seriously.  “Carol, you know what Lucy represents for us.  You know why we have to fix this.  She’s it Carol.  She is the last descendant of David Rittenhouse.  The last full blooded relative of our founder.  She cannot throw that away.”

 

Carol sighed.  “I know.  You’re right.  Of course, you’re right.  She could have so much more and I – I want to be there, to see her shine.”

 

Benjamin Cahill leaned over, “So…all I need is a date.  I have a pilot who can go go back and reset, if you will, Lucy’s path.  One that puts her firmly on the road towards Rittenhouse and becoming the anthropologist and historian we always wanted her to be.  This whole time travel initiative was created with her in mind.” 

 

Carol pointed to her desk, “In the desk drawer is a folder with her name on it.”  He stood up and walked over to her desk.  She gave a shaky sigh “I took a picture the night she came home to announce her intentions to leave school.”

 

Cahill obliged and flipped open the folder, smiling at all of the various honors and awards Lucy had won over the years. He handed the folder to Carol as he sat down.  “I’m pleased to see she has done so well.  She will be spectacular,” He patted her hand. “once we get her head on straight.”  Carol pursed her lips and nodded.  “Is that it?”

 

Benjamin Cahill was pointing to a picture marked December 13, 2003.  Lucy, Amy and Henry were hugging and smiling next to the family Christmas tree, with a caption that read “Lucy makes her own future.”  Carol pulled it out of the album and handed it to Benjamin Cahill, not meeting his eyes.  “Yes – she drove home from school that day.”              

 

He smiled at her as he tucked the picture into his breast pocket, “Thank you, Carol.  She will make history….and you and she will have the time together that you deserve.” 

 

Carol smiled “That’s all I want.  More time with Lucy…and a chance to change history.”

 

He was walking towards her bedroom door when she called him back, “Benjamin, who are you sending? Emma?”

 

He smiled, “No. I plan on asking Anthony Bruhl.  He’s a family man, has a daughter of his own.  I trust him.”

 

Carol nodded.  “And Jensen?”

 

Cahill chuckled, “He’ll make sure she doesn’t get hurt.  We’ve thought the whole thing through.  You have nothing to worry about.”  He crossed back over to Carol, taking her hand in his.  “We’ll save her from herself and then, when she’s ready, when she’s on the correct path, we’ll save you.”

 

Later that evening, Benjamin Cahill entered Mason Industries.  He beamed with pride as he admired the gleaming Mothership in the docking bay.  Anthony Bruhl looked up from his desk, Benjamin Cahill was motioning to him from the conference room. 

 

“Yes, sir?” Anthony asked as he entered the room.  “Is there something you needed from me?  The Mothership isn’t quite ready, but we’ve made significant prog-“

 

“I have a special mission for you Anthony.  It’s extremely important and really, the first of its kind.”  Anthony raised his eyebrows in interest.  “If you are successful, your family will never want for another thing….ever.”

 

“What’s the mission?” Anthony asked. 

 

Benjamin Cahill pulled the photo from his chest pocket, “You’re going to change my daughter’s future.”

 


End file.
